The Perfect Storm
by Miskit
Summary: Follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast. BobbyOFC
1. Prologue

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and an unavoidable tragey tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

* * *

'The Perfect Storm'

Not too many things surprised Billy Tyne all that much anymore. He'd seen too many things to be surprised anymore. Seen too many things that came and went, too many things that reminded a man the world was cruel and you hardly ever got a break from it or from anything else for that matter. No, surprises were few and far between for him now days... but that morning, climbing up into his wheelhouse, Billy ate his words as he came face to face with his first honest to god surprise in eight years. He blindly dropped the charts he was carrying onto the table to his left as a looked over a young woman sitting in his chair. He squinted at her, something in the back of his mind telling him that he recognized the dimpled curl of this woman's cheeky grin and the wave of her auburn hair.

"Hey uncle Billy..." Her grin widened as she lifted a palm to him, waving it just so in greeting. The sound of his crew out on the dock loading the ship seemed loud in the silent wheelhouse as she stared at him, a barely contained glee far too noticeable in her brown eyes to be over looked - brown eyes that Billy couldn't help but realize looked exactly like his own.

"...Deac?"

She burst out into a loud laugh, lifting herself from the chair and over to him. Her arms went around his neck in a tight loop, her laughter vibrating in his chest as he returned her embrace. A grin broke through his face and the man joined in on her laughter, ignoring the fact that he knew his men could hear them and were undoubtedly puzzling over the unexpected noise coming from their captain's wheelhouse.

"Deacon Gallagher," He grinned, pulling back enough to look over her face again. She's grown so much over the eight years since he had last seen her, as was only to be expected, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was her. Deacon Marie Gallagher, only child to his older sister Marie who had passed away years ago, god rest her soul. He shook his head as his hands lifted to frame both sides of her head, palms smoothing over her hair, "Well I'll be damned if I thought I'd ever be seeing you again. Look at ya... what are you now? Twenty-four, twenty-five years old?"

She chuckled again, so happy to see her uncle again. "Yeah, something like that. Just turned twenty-six last month..."

"God..." he shook his head again, taking a step back from her, the corners of his own eyes crinkling with pleasure. "Twenty-six... as if I didn't feel old enough already."

They chuckled together at that, Deacon leaning back against the table Billy had tossed his charts onto. Billy noticed that too, something he had almost forgotten... their laughs were even a lot alike, reminding him how family used to joke that Deacon resembled him more then her own mother and father - aside from the bright shade of her hair she looked so much like Billy she might as well have just been his own kid.

"So, what uh... what are you doing out here? Hmm?" Billy pressed as he removed his hat and took up his pen, preparing to looking over his charts even with his niece there with him.

"Just thought I'd come pay my favorite uncle a visit..." she tucked her head down against her own shoulder and glanced down as the man unwrapped a chart and leaned over the table to study it.

Billy scoffed at that, "I'm your only uncle, ya brat." They had another soft chuckle together at that, Deacon mumbling something along the lines of the accusation being true. Billy dropped the point of his pen against the chart, marking something Deacon really didn't understand out on the it. He straightened a little to look her in the eye, arching a knowing brow at her, "Come on, Deac... what're ya doing down here? You really gonna tell me your dad gave you the ok to come see me of all people?"

"Well..."

"Don't lie to me, Deac." He flashed a grin, "Your dad and me have never been on good terms. Everyone on this side of the Atlantic knows that..." His eyes were on her again and he watched as she nodded a little, arms lifting to cross over her chest and lip catching between her teeth as she thought over something. He nudged her softly with his elbow, "Come on, Deac... what're you doing here? You need money or something? I haven't got much, but if you're in a tight spot don't be afraid to ask me, honey."

"No, no..." She shook her head this time, palms up as she backed a step away from him - backed up like she was backing up from his offer altogether. "Nothing like that, honest."

He nodded, "Ok then..." he straightened up completely then, dropping his pen to the table and leaning against it to study her rather then the charts. "What's wrong then?"

Deacon gave a halfhearted laugh, "Why's there got to be something wrong for me to come and see you? You know, sometimes a niece will just go and see her uncle every now and then... it's kind of what family does, in cause you've missed the memo."

"Hey, hey..." He frowned at her, holding his arms up in surrender, "alright. I'm sorry, ok?" Silence fell between them and she nodded, silent now. Billy grinned, hand reaching out and grasping her shoulder; he gave her a little shake by it. "I'm glad to see you again, if that counts for anything."

She sighed heavily, smiling as her eyes rolled over to look at him. "Yeah, well you better be... I don't do this sort of thing for just anybody. Family or not."

"I'm honored then." Billy turned to his charts again, lips curled just slightly as he did so. His mood was considerably higher with seeing Deacon again, the strokes of his pen brisk and clear on the charts under his scrutiny. Even with as much attention he was pouring into his charts, Billy could still see the girl twitching just so from the corner of his eye, he didn't think much of it though. Figured it was just a quirk for her... she'd done it a lot when she was younger, he recalled, though it mostly happened only when she was nervous back then.

"Ah... uncle Billy?" She spoke up after a long stretch of silence between them, jittery movements settling only a little as she shifted her position. He made a questioning sound at the back of his throat, not lifting his head from his studying just yet, and she continued, "So, uh... listen. I did have a reason to come up here. I came to see you, honest I did, but... I also came cause I wanted to ask a favor of you."

Billy stilled, glancing up at her again. He sighed heavily, "I told ya not to lie to me, Deac."

"I didn't! Well, not entirely... I don't want money from you, uncle Billy. I don't." She leaned down on her elbows on the table next to him, shoulder pressed to his as she stared down at her hands. "I came cause... I wanted to ask you for a job."

"A job?" Billy's brow furrowed, thoroughly confused and showing it.

"Yeah," she gave him a hopeful grin, "I'm wanting to join on this site. Come fishing with you and your boys."

"No." His answer was fast, immediate, leaving no time between her words and his for thought. His face had grown serious, head shaking, all the laugher in his expression gone now.

"Ah come on, uncle..." Her own expression crumbled, eyes following him as he straightened up from the table completely and crossed over to the other side of the wheel house.

"I said no, Deacon." He right out snapped at her.

"Why? Cause I'm a girl?" She scowled at him, "I can hold my own, uncle."

"I'm sure you can. But the answer is still no." He turned his back on her, hearing her stand herself and approach him from behind.

"But why not? Why can't I join?"

"This isn't the place for you, Deacon." He explained stonily, "You belong back home-"

"Bull! That's a lie and you know it!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him around to look at her, "You don't believe that at all. You and me both know it."

"Deacon..."

"I want to come out to sea with you, uncle Billy." He tried to avoid her gaze, but she followed him on it and forced him to look at her. She gave him a grin, "It's been eight years and things change, but I loved the sea back then and I do know. You know how crazy I was about it when I was little, you better then anyone else cause you love it too." He nodded and she chuckled, "Now you get to live your dream all the time and go out on it and fish and captain like a mad man... you really gonna send me packing without giving me a chance to do what I love too?"

"That's not fair, Deacon." Billy grinned at her, shaking his head as he spoke calm and low. "You're pulling cheap shots now."

She arched a brow at him, "I learned from the best, I'd say."

"Yeah ya did..." He turned away from her, looking out the window and mulling it all through his head. He rubbed a hand across his face, aware that she was scrutinizing him with the same look he used looking at his charts. He shook his head. "It isn't gonna be a vacation, Deac. You're gonna have to work, understand. Work like my men do. We can't treat you like a lady at all times, alright? We don't have enough time or space here to do that..."

"No, no, of course. I know." Her grin stretched across her face, "I'd have it no other way. I wanna work. I wanna fish and do all the things you guys do out here. I'll even cook for ya..."

He turned his eyes to her, regarding her good and long and hard. "It's not a game, Deac. It gets pretty choppy out here... and the Great Banks in October aren't a laughing matter."

"I know."

He fell silent, giving her a stern look right in the eyes. "...don't make me regret this, Deac."

She breathed a breath of relief, looping her arms back around his neck once more. "You wont, I swear! Oh god, thank you, uncle Billy! Thank you!"

He chuckled, patting her back as she right out strangled him, "Yeah, yeah... now go on. Go get all your stuff together and ready. We're leaving tomorrow morning. Early; be out here before sunrise or I'm leaving ya, understand?"

"Yes sir, Captain Tyne."

He chuckled as she turned and hurried down and out of the wheelhouse, all smiles and giddy like he always remembered she had been. He moved to the doorway, looking out to watch her jump off the edge of the boat onto the dock, either ignoring the men or in too much of a pleased daze to see them. They gave each other odd looks, muttering questions none of them had the answers to before looking up to him. He shrugged, grinning, offering no more of and answer then theythemselves had.

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REVIEW PLEASE! comments and constructive criticism welcomed. 


	2. Chapter 1

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict: Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you've liked it thus far; and I agree. The lack of Perfect Storm fics out there is right out sinful.

LaLa-036: I hadn't watched the movie in years, I honestly think not since around the time it first came out... I was browsing through a video store and saw the DVD tucked away on a shelf for $5 and made it my own. I watched it and then got so frustrated when I wasn't able to find a single fic for the film that I just plucked up and wrote my own.

* * *

'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter One

Being a woman on an all male ship was going to be difficult. Deacon knew that much long before the idea to join her uncle's crew even crossed her mind. There was limited space, no room for privacy anywhere, and these were men... manners weren't always necessary when it was just them out at sea like they were in the real world. She'd be trapped on a boat for months with a bunch of rowdy, dirty, somewhat drunk fishermen. Needless to say it was going to be interesting. And honestly, she had expected the strange looks she got from each man, one by one, as they settled down on the boat that morning in late September. They'd all spent their hours, waiting for that sun glow of dawn none of them really wanted to come, hauled up in the Crow's Nest for one last drink in a comfortable, safe place. She could smell the liquor on them as they boarded, the harsh scent thrown up in her face as they waved and handed out their individual goodbyes to loved ones and those that mattered enough to them to be there on the docks that morning for them at all.

They hadn't much noticed her at first, too wrapped up in the departure to recognize her presence or feel her gaze on each and every one of them in turn. Uncle Billy had, upon her own request, given her a pretty good idea of what each man looked like before they had arrived that morning, and he'd given her a name for each of them as well: boney, weasel-faced Bugsy Moran who had a nerve pinching laugh and a soft, but desperate heart; tall, sturdy Sully Sullivan with his hard ass attitude and blond hair; dark skinned, accented Alfred Pierre who by far seemed to be the most mature or else just very accepting of the lot; gruff, bearded Murph Murphy who was built like a bear, but was at heart probably the most gentle. And then there was dark-haired, almost smokey-skinned Bobby Shatford with his sweet smile and naturally determined nature. Aside from herself, he was the rookie on board.

She already felt like she knew them all so well and she'd not even said a single word to anyone of them yet. Just watching them was good enough for the moment, perched up on the top step leading up to the wheelhouse - watching the way the each dealt with leaving loved ones behind to work a site where they had an equal chance at failure as they did success. Maybe not even so equal...

She gave the men a smile, though, once they started getting wise to her presence. She wasn't about to look as intimidated as she felt, she wouldn't give them that much of an upper hand just yet.

"Whoa, whoa!" Murph's brow was furrowed, forehead creased so deep that three, maybe four deep lines seemed almost cut into the flesh. He gestured up at her, the others joining around him with similar expressions on their faces, "Cap, we got a stowaway! What'dya think you're doing on board here, little lady?"

"This ain't a cruise liner, sweetheart." The Bugsy guy chirped in, looking smug with himself for some reason that alluded Deacon.

"Oh! No?" She tilted her head, a mock look of surprise on her soft face, "Hmm... I hadn't noticed. Thanks for pointing that out, Bugs."

Bugsy looked between his crew mates and Deacon, confusion lifting his smugness clear off his face. He pointed at her, leaning towards the man she recognized as Bobby who himself looked torn between confused, curious, and amused. Bugsy spoke to Bobby, voice dropped, but not low enough to escape her, "...she knows my name. Hey, hey... do I know her? How she know me?"

Bobby just shrugged, his eyes meeting Deacon's for a short moment before lifting his dark gaze to watch as Billy came out from his wheelhouse to stand behind the seated young woman. She followed his gaze up and back to her uncle, giving him a grin that he returned. He nudged her with his knee in the back of the head and she obediently made her way down off the steps onto the deck with the crew.

"Cool your jets, Murph." Billy chuckled as he too stepped down behind the girl, "There ain't any stowaways..."

Murph's dark brows shot up to his hairline, eyes shifting over to Deacon then back to Billy like the captain had lost his mind.

"She's not a stowaway, Murph." Billy gave the men a look, adjusting his ever present hat on his head.

A deep throated chuckle came from Sully, the tall man swaying a bit on his feet and grinning at the situation like it was all a clever joke he had been the first to figure out. "What then? You decided to bring on some entertainment for the rest of us? A little something to help pass the time?"

Deacon's brows shot up this time around, her jaw working tensely as she looked Sully up and down. Her arms crossed over her small chest, pulling the cloth of her blue t-shirt tight against her shoulders. "Excuse me? Entertainment? What the hell do you think I am, huh?" She snapped, her face going hard in a fashion the men had only seen happen on one other face among them. Even as they looked to their captain, confusion heightened by the mirror look of anger on her face they had so often seen on the older man's, Deacon was bowing up defensively. Insulted by Sully's remark. "I look like some kind of cheap hooker to you, Sullivan?"

Sully had gone silent by now, just staring at the slim, auburn-haired firecracker as she went off on him.

"What? Why so quiet now? Huh?" She went as far as to poke him soundly in the chest, finger jabbing him none too gently. "Say something smart-ass like that again and I'll bust your jaw, jack-ass."

Sully tensed up himself, anger raising as Bugsy snickered off to his left. He turned away from Deacon, rounding on Billy instead, "What's the deal with bringing a little bitch on board, captain?"

Deacon's jaw dropped a bit, brow creasing tenfold at the man's words and she took a step towards him as if she were going to physically fight the man three times her size over the comment. Billy grabbed her should, interfering before Deacon starting something he wasn't sure he was prepared to see her finish. And he had no doubt she would finish it - she had his blood in her, after all.

"Hey, hey, knock it off." Billy gave Deacon a push towards the cabin door behind them, nodding towards it after. "Why don't you go fix us all up something to eat, huh, Deac? Some breakfast?"

Deacon gave Sully a hatful look, one he returned full force, before nodding and stepping backwards towards the cabin doors. "Yeah. Yeah, sure... Whatever you want, Captain."

Billy waited for her to disappear through the cabin door, shaking his head and sighing as she slammed the door after her. Slammed it hard too, felt like she made the entire deck tremble in her wake. That was Deacon for you... he remembered that flair of temper even back when she was a little girl. Another trait of his that she picked up - she spent so much time with him back then he supposed it was only to be expected. He still thought it funny, though, seeing how much she was like him and how little she was like her own two parents.

Turning back to his men, he was amused to see them all looking about at each other, sometimes at him, clearly at a loss for what to think of all of this. They weren't even twenty minutes out of Gloucester and already things were getting hairy... never a good sign. He smirked at them, "That went rather well..." He paused, "...I guess..."

"Should of let me smack the little bitch, captain." Sully bit out right off the bat, earning himself a few disagreeing words and sounds from the men around him. "Put her in her place..."

"You touch her, you die, Sully." Billy warned, face tensing in that way the men knew better then to question him about anything when he used it. His voice was protective, fatherly protective. It was hard to miss and the guys shared a look.

"What the hell, cap?" Bugsy spoke up, gesturing to the cabin door Deacon had stormed through. "D'ya bring your kid aboard or something?"

"No..." Billy heaved a sigh, scratching the side of his head in a way that could almost be taken as nervously. "Her name's Deacon Gallagher, she's joining in on the site this time out. She's my niece... my dead sister's kid."

That got a nod out of Bugsy and Alfred Pierre, both seeming to find that a suitable answer and needing to know nothing else. The other three shifted their weight from one foot to the other, Bobby reaching up to rub the back of his head, bumping his hat with his hand and nearly knocking it clear off his head. Murph made a sound a lot like a groan, snorting out hot air hard through his nose, nostrils flaring in frustration.

"So, what, we got to split up the cut another way now just 'cause you got a niece who thinks she can fish?" Murph shook his head, clearly irritated by the idea. He took a step towards Billy, tossing his hand out towards the cabin door angrily, "Have you seen her lately, cap? That little thing ain't gonna be able to haul in a swordfish! The damn fish will crush her!"

"Hey, I don't know..." Bobby smirked, elbowing Sully in the side, "She looked pretty ready to bust Sully up real good." Bugsy joined him in a chuckle at Sully's expense, the blond man growling out an angry curse and giving Bobby a shove. "I think she's got spirit..."

"She does." Billy agreed, cutting in before Sully could carry on an argument with Bobby too. "She's a hard worker, has been all her life. She's not gonna keel over or wuss out when things get hard and dirty... She'd rather die then have anyone of you think she was weak just by the sight of her or 'cause she's a girl. Especially 'cause she's a girl." He looked to Murph, "And she's not asking for much."

Murph regarded the captain long and hard before he sighed, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. "Not much? How much?"

"Less then Bobby got out of our last run." Billy gave Bobby a smirk, watching the younger man pop Bugsy upside the head as his crew mate snickered at him.

"Really?" Murph's hands were on his hips, his expression thoughtful. He nodded after another moment of thought, "...yeah? Alright, fine. But what's she gonna do? Like I said, the fish-"

"She can handle the fish." Billy cut in, giving Murph and the others a look, "She says she wants to do labor work same as the lot of you. Let her. Give her something heavy to do - she wants to haul in fish, let her. She wants to bait up the waters, let her. She can hold her own." He smirked, "She's my niece, remember?"

The men nodded, Murph still looking skeptical, but accepting his captain's word as law.

"But like I said," He arched his brows at Sully then the rest of them, "This goes for everyone of you filthy bastards. Deacon is as of now officially off limits - you so much as think an impure thought about her and I'll have you thrown out as bait with a hook up your ass faster then you can blink. Understand?"

The lot of them chuckled, nodding and 'aye, aye, skip'ing the captain with shakes of their heads and shifts of their weight. Billy nodded as well, gesturing off in the direction of all the food products cluttering the deck, "Good. Now do something about all this stuff. Put it on ice, get moving!" Another round of 'aye, aye' and they were off to do their jobs as ordered.

He watched them start to gather stuff up to be taken down to the food coolers, bickering amongst themselves as usual, before turning to head down into the cabins after his niece. He was more then sure that she would still be in a foul mood when he got there. He was right, walking in to find her muttering angrily under her breath and poking aggressively at the strips of bacon sizzling on the pan she had out over the little kitchenette stove. He smirked at her, leaning against the table with his arms crossed and his gaze fixed upon her back.

"You know," He began, "I typically toss a man overboard of trying to start a fist fight on my boat..."

She glanced over her shoulder at her uncle, scoffing softly, "Would have been worth it."

"Really?" She nodded and he shook his head, slipping his hat off his head and messing with the lip. "Yeah, but I wouldn't consider Sully worth losing your cool over, sweetheart. It's just his way to say stupid shit..."

"No excuse for being an asshole." She snapped back, transferring the bacon out of the pan and onto a large plate for the men to pick from.

"No, I guess not."

"And did you hear him? Entertainment!" She glared at the food she was preparing, "Did he think I was gonna start swinging around from a damn pole right there on deck for him? 'A little something to help pass the time' he says!" She huffed furiously, her auburn ponytail quivering behind her head, "I should of decked him."

"He would have decked you back." Billy countered.

"Good!" She whipped around to face her uncle, eyes wide and angry, "Give me more of a reason to shove a buoy up his ugly ass."

There was silence between them, both looking the other in the eye, completely still. Billy actually broke first, laughter bubbling up in his chest as he looked at his niece, lips pressed together tightly in a vain attempt to hold it in. Once she broke in an embarrassed smile, chuckling herself, though, he couldn't stop it and let the laughter out.

"Shove... a buoy... up his ugly ass?" Billy repeated the remark, shoulders still shaking a bit but laughter calming and evening out. He swallowed a breath of air, brows arching up to his hairline, "Is that a fact?"

"What? You don't think I'd do it?"

"Oh, no. Actually, I believe whole heartedly, without a doubt, that you would do it." Billy smiled, "I'm just wondering whether or not you could find something a bit better and more compact then a buoy to use."

"Yeah, maybe." She returned the smile, "...but the buoy's the weapon of choice."

He nodded, "Of course." He stood their a moment, just looking at her before lifting his arms and motioning her forward to him. She smirked at him, shaking her head with a sigh as she relented to his silent request and stepped up into his arms. He embraced her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "No more with this mad stuff, alright? Sully ain't worth it, and I like it better when you laugh, anyway."

"Getting sappy on me, old man?" She lifted her head, grinning cheekily up at him.

"A bit." He nodded, then shrugged, his eyes dropping, unable to meet the girl's gaze when he spoke, "Just, you know... missed having you around, kiddo. It's nice to have you back."

Deacon knew Billy Tyne wasn't the best at expressing the more gentler of emotions, so the fact that he owned up to missing her at all was a feat in itself. It just wasn't in his nature to confess he loved someone, not even to family. She gave him a smile, backing out of his arms and over to the stove once more to finish up her cooking.

"So, where are the assholes now, then?" She asked, glancing back at Billy again.

"Storing the rest of the food down in the coolers." He gave a grunt like sound as he pushed up from the table and back straight up on his feet. "You done already? Want me to call them in?"

"Almost." She nodded, shutting the stove off. "Call them in, I guess. Don't see why I should feed them,though, what with the way they greeted me. Lack there of is more like it, actually." She shook her head, "All bug-eyed and 'what, what, little-lady'... enough to make me sick. 'S just rude..."

Billy chuckled, heading out the door of the cabin to go fetch the rest of the crew down in the coolers...

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed! 

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	3. Chapter 2

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: Oh good, I'm very glad you like her; I'm fond of her myself. Yeah, Chris... well, that's the 'things get complicated fast' part of the story; I don't dislike Chris, not even a little bit, so it's not my intention to really let her be hurt... but, then again, there's that 'complicated fast' bit.

* * *

'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Two

Eating with the guys hadn't been nearly as horrible as Deacon had originally thought it would be. It had been tense and tight lipped, noone really saying anything to anyone about anything, least of all to her, but there were no arguments. There was no fighting. There was an irritated movement or two during the time they all spent together at the table in the cabin, and she'd looked up in time to catch a few stares, but it all mostly came from Sully and he was seated on the opposite end of the table and on the other side. Plus, at this point, she didn't give a rat's ass about him - bad first impressions could put a serious damper on a relationship, any kind of relationship. Especially with Deacon Gallagher.

So breakfast had been tense and a bit uncomfortable, but it had gone much better then she had figured it would. And by the time Billy Tyne had retreated up to his wheelhouse to become a hermit of the seas once more and Deacon had eagerly joined her crew mates down in the coolers to help pack away the remaining food, things had settled down a bit between her and the men. Murph tended to steer clear of her, but not in a way that made her think he was trying to ignore her or right out disliked her... he just seemed rather disinclined to interact much with her at this point; Alfred Pierre didn't talk much in general, but he listened and that was fine with her. Sully, of course, stuck to the other side of the cooler as her, so that left Bugsy and Bobby - happily, and very much a relief for her, they seemed the most comfortable with her already and had started a rousing game of twenty questions with her while they packed food away.

"So, you a Gloucester girl or what?" Bugsy grunted as he tossed a large bag of onions up onto the ice packed ledge of on of the coolers. He brushed his hands off on his jeans after, like they had gotten dirty, and looked to Deacon over his shoulder, "I don't think I've ever seen you around town..."

Deacon gave a hum, a small smirk tugging at her lips, "That's 'cause I'm not a Gloucester girl." She reached over for another large bag of food stuffs, swatting at Bobby when he tried to beat her to it. She gave him a scowl, hefting the bag up in her arms and tossing the sack up with the onions Bugsy had just put away, arching her brow at him after, proving her point without saying a word. Bobby grinned at her, shrugging and backing off.

She looked back to Bugsy, "But, uh, I lived here as a kid for awhile. My old man moved us out to Manchester though after my mom died."

Bugsy nodded his head, the movement jerky and clipped as he looked her up and down. Deacon wasn't quite sure what to make of that look and her own expression showed it, jutting her chin out at it and narrowing her eyes on the 'bugsy' guy.

"What? What's with the look?"

"Nothin'..." Bugsy tried to wave it off, shaking his head jerkily again and reaching out to grab another sack.

"No, no, come on. What?" She looked more amused then anything, but it was obvious already at this point that that amusement could shift swiftly into defensiveness and anger. Like Billy Tyne.

"Careful, Bugs." Bobby warned, nudging Deacon with his elbow as he hefted up a sack of what might have been potatoes, "She's liable ta bust your jaw."

Deacon tried to hold in her smile, the look leaking through despite herself as she gave Bobby a heavy smack across his stomach. He only barely held onto the sack of potatoes, a semi surprised groan jumping from his throat laced with a chuckle. It hadn't been that hard of a strike, not something that even had a chance to hurt Bobby, but the fact that she had struck out at all was something that had caught the man's attention. She was strong and confident of herself - something Bobby had immediately liked about the girl.

"Watch it, guy, your jaw wont be the only thing I'll bust." She shared a grin and chuckle with Bobby before turning back to Bugsy, giving the boney man a look, "So, yeah... What? I'm not a Gloucester girl, that some kind of problem?"

"Nah, nah!" Bugsy deflected the challenging look on Deacon's face, pausing in his food storing to half look at the girl and half avoid her eyes. "Just... you know." She tilted her head, clearly not knowing this point of his. He pointed at Bobby, "Bobby! Bobby knows what I'm talking about, right?" He gestured to Deacon again, with both hands, "Little thing, little girl, doesn't look like she can do much but a house wife's job. But she's cussing and 'stomping' on guy's throats and haulin' things she shouldn't even be able to lift. It's crazy! Only girls I know like that are Gloucester girls and you say you ain't one of them."

Deacon felt a smug look stretching her face just so, proud with the assessment.

"That's 'cause you ain't looking at it right, Bugs." Bobby cut in again, tossing random items up onto the iced shelf, "She's a Gloucester girl."

"I'm from Manchester." Deacon crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed on Bobby's handsome, grinning face.

"But you were born in Gloucester, right?" She nodded and he held his hands up, a look of triumph on his face, like he was aware of something so much bigger then the rest knew. He took a step towards her, smirking when he got up in her face and she didn't even so much as blink at him, just held his gaze and listened sharply, "Once you've been one, even just as a kid, you never become anything else. It's in your blood and it ain't ever comin' out."

"That so?" Her lips curled, not quite a smirk but also not quiet a smile; the look was stuck somewhere in between the two. She reached over to the side and lifted a sack to shove into Bobby's chest, making him take a step back and clutch at the thing so it didn't drop to the floor and crush its contents; she turned and grabbed a sack for herself then, back turned to Bobby now. "What's that mean for me then? I get some kind of special treatment 'cause I'm 'high quality'?"

"No, means you don't get any special treatment at all." Bobby snickered, that smile of his fit snugly to his lips. "A Gloucester girl's the same thing as a Gloucester man. We're equal in everything on this boat, 'cept maybe weight and stature."

"Yeah?" Deacon's gaze flicked over to Sully on the other end of the cooler who was obviously trying not to look like he was listening to every word the trio was saying, "Guess some people missed that memo, huh?" The blond didn't even bother to look up at her, but she knew he was aware of her stare. The way he tried to ignoree her brought another smirk to her lips as she put her attention back on Bobby instead, "Guess I should start shamelessly hittin' on the lot of you and smoke and drink and cuss, huh?"

Bobby seemed to consider this for half a second and then started chuckling, the sound a deep rumble in his chest, making his shoulders shake just so. "Yeah, you should." He laughed again, Deacon and Bugsy both joining in the amusement this time. Bobby reached up and turned his hat around backwards and Deacon snorted softly as the new position of it made the dark waves of his hair stick out from under the cap a bit more then usual - it was cute, though she'd never admit it out loud. "Besides, you already cuss, sweetheart..."

"Yeah, but I don't smoke."

"Fine, but I know you can't tell me you've never had a few drinks before. Not with a straight face." He shrugged, "Sounds to me like you're already halfway there."

"I still don't smoke." She smirked, "Sounds to me like I'll never be a full Gloucester man."

"...I think we could make an exception."

Deacon rolled her eyes, scoffing loudly. She turned her back on Bobby again; the way he'd grinned at her just then had almost been enough to make that stupid girl heart of her's leap in her chest. Not something she needed right now. She'd had her fair share of crushes over the years, but this wasn't the time or the place to let that feminine side in her rear it's ugly head.

"Except..." She spoke up again a moment later, squashing the flutter in her chest down and casting it aside. The best thing right now was to hold on to Bobby as a friend, same as Bugsy. "I wasn't aware that Gloucster men accepted 'exceptions' in anything. Doesn't being a proud Gloucester man mean never taking the easy way out just 'cause it's a helluva lot easier?" She arched a brow at Bobby over she shoulder, "Right?"

Bugsy's grating snicker rang out loudly in the coolers, the boney man popping Bobby a few good times in the shoulder, "I think she beat you, Bobby."

"Hey, enough with the chatter!" Murph called out before Bobby could make his own argument and counter Deacon's words. Meaning, simply, that she had indeed won this round and it showed clearly on her face. "You get all that stuff packed away or you too busy flapping your jaws?"

Deacon picked up and tossed three wrapped packets of meant into the long white portable cooler against the back wall behind her, Bugsy, and Bobby. She shut the lid smartly over the meat, hefting herself up on top of the cooler with a smirk. "Yes sir, Mr. Murph."

Murph hesitated, looking over her a moment before nodding. "Yeah? Good..." He tore his gaze from Deacon, looking to the other's instead, "Come on, lets get our asses back on deck, we got more work waiting up there."

Knowing that 'work' Murph talked about was painting numbers onto buoys, filling the other coolers with ice for the hopefully soon to be caught fish, and setting up for the action that awaited them the next day, the crew headed out as soon as Murph gave the word. No questions asked about it. The spent the majority of the remaining day stringing up the buoys and numbering them, during which they jibbed and jabbed at each other, taunting words and mock insults starting to fly around. It was getting easier, Deacon noticed, to interact with these misfits as the day wore on. It felt good, almost comfortable even - she was almost tempted to start thinking of it as feeling at home for the first time in a long time, but that would be sappy and she wasn't a sap. Not today at least.

Day passed into evening rather uneventfully, Deacon retiring to the cabin earlier then the rest to fix up something resembling a dinner. She wasn't the best cook out there and she'd be the first to admit to it, but the guys didn't seem to mind it much or else didn't figure she was so bad at it. They ate it. She didn't hear any complaints, and it wasn't like she saw any of them doing it themselves, so she figured even if they wanted to complain they wouldn't have much of an argument.

As much of a test it had been for her to get through this first day onboard, holding her own enough to make sure the guys knew better then to try and walk all over her, sleeping was going to be like a final exam she hadn't studied for. There were four bunks in the cabin and the cold, pleather covered seat at the table... the bunks went to those who were considered the veterans of the Andrea Gail, so those went to Alfred Pierre, Bugsy, Murph, and Bobby. And she'd rather die then share any kind of sleeping area with Sully; she chuckled aloud at the very idea.

"What're you laughing about?" Murph asked her from across the cabin, watching her put up the last of the cleaned dishes from his top bunk. She turned a glance over her shoulder at him, flashing a smile - it was really the first time he had willingly addressed her like this, after all. No condescending tone, no unapproving stares.

"Mm-m, nothing." She wiped her hands off on the dish towel, stretching her arms lazily up over her head. The men were all pretty much hunkering down in there bed places for the night, Sully taking up space on the seat by the table... this left Deacon wondering, once again, where the hell she was going to end up tonight. She began to chew on the skin of her thumb, looking around the room, aware that Murph was still focused on her.

"So, guys..." She started up again, grabbing at a blanket bunched up at the foot of Bobby's bed, playfully swatting his calf as she went. She sat down on the floor between Bobby's and Alfred Pierre's bottom bunks, "I'm just gonna have to ask you four, please, pleasepleaseplease _please_... try not to stomp all over me if you get up during the night."

"Whoa, what?" Bugsy looked down at her on floor from over the edge of his top bunk, "You sleeping on the floor?"

"Yeah. That's the idea."

"No." He shook his head, gesturing at Sully, "Sully! Get your ass off that seat and let Deac over here sleep there."

"Why?" The blond ground out, tossing back the last of the contents of the beer he had been cradling in his fingers. He scoffed, the sound coming out from his nose, eyes rolling back in his head as he threw himself back on the seat by the table. "How about you be the gentleman, Bugs, and you give your place up for the skinny bitch."

Bugsy hesitated, thinking it though it seemed, but the swiftly began to move. Planned on giving up his bed - something Deacon was quick to stop.

"No. No, no, no, no, no..." Deacon pointed at Bugsy, stopping the man in mid movement, "No, Bugsy, you stay up in your bed. That's your bed. I'm the rookie, the new gal taking up space, sleeping here is like a right of passage for me." She gave the boney man a look, "Really. I'll be insulted if you even suggest trading spots with me. I mean it..."

Deacon looked from Bugsy to Sully once the man had settled down on his bed once more. She gave a disgusted half snort of a chuckle, "Hey, Sully," She sneered, "Have fun with that table edge rammed up your ass all night."

He flicked her off, shooting her a bird up over from his place, mumbling a 'fuck you' from across the cabin. It made her laugh.

"Yeah, no thanks, asshole."

Deacon heard Murph laugh huskily, Bugsy's, to her, infectious snickering following it at that. It was no secret Murph hated Sully just as much if not more so then she did; at last... the two of them seemed to have found common ground somewhere. The lights in the cabin went out soon after that, Sully getting shouted at from Murph and Bugsy for a while before the blond was 'coaxed' into flipping the light switch.

The cabin fell silent, the only sounds coming from Murph or one of the other guys shifting around in their beds. Eventually, though, those sounds died out and the room was filled with even, guttural snores. Cold, dark silence. Deacon kept herself very still, staying down on her back with the blanket she had stolen from Bobby wrapped tight around her; the temperature had dropped drastically in the cabin and the blanket was doing very little to keep out the cold bite of the floor against her back. But she'd be damned it she was going to draw any attention to herself because of it.

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REVIEW PLEASE! comments and constructive criticism welcomed! 

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to overlook and read over mistakes...


	4. Chapter 3

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: Thank you so much for reviewing; it's nice to hear some feedback. And yes, unfortunately, I had planned for this trip to be the 'perfect storm' trip. It makes me sad to do it, especially with how fond of Deacon I've become, but I feel like it has to be done given the fandom.

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'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Three

Morning was hell. It was that simple. Hell. Hellish hell. Deacon woke up to Billy Tyne stomping around the cabin, awake and eager to start the day, and a blinding light going on over head of her. She was freezing, her skin sticking to her uncomfortably even beneath the heavy sweatshirt she had fallen asleep in. She couldn't feel her toes and immediately found a pair of socks to tug onto her ice cold feet. She didn't let on to any of the slowly waking men around her that there was anything wrong and went about starting a breakfast for the crew.

Deacon tugged a hair tie around her hair and pulled the long, auburn waves back from her face. She started preparing eggs, toast, and some bacon while the men were still pulling themselves out of their bunks, focusing on the task at hand.

"Rough night?" Billy asked his niece, keeping the conversation between them as he stood behind her.

"Hm-m?" Deacon rubbed her eyes with the pads of her fingers, glancing back at her uncle. "Oh, no. Not really."

She gave him a look, one to which the captain just chuckled and shook his head at her for. He didn't press the subject, and he especially didn't bring up that she looked like she had been hit by a train. A very cold train. She looked tired, but he knew she was jumping up to cook now since she got to put her back between herself and the men; she got to hide that weakness from them right now. And Billy almost found that sad, but he was equally careful to keep that thought to himself. Deacon wouldn't take well to him thinking like that.

Billy started shouting at and baiting the men stumbling around. He eventually got them to get up, semi awake, but Deacon was convinced it was more likely the smell of cooking food that woke them up as much as they were. They all sat at the table, eating once Deacon was finished and had the food laid out in front of them, and it was much easier this morning then it had been the last. They all muttered together, throwing comments and plans, and they all spoke to her, made her feel like part of their exclusive 'club'... except Sully, but at this point he didn't even count in her book.

They spent the early morning doing tedious labor work - moving stuff, packing things, pulling stuff out, preparing for work to be done later. Expected things, stuff Deacon was prepared to do, but, like the rest of the crew, didn't really want to do. Murph and Sully swapped curses and insults and poorly planned dialogue together. The mocked and baited each other like junior high school students arguing over a girl neither of them really even liked, but were too bull headed and stubborn to back down or let the other get the last word in about. It was entertainment if nothing else while she and Alfred Pierre individually carried a tub of light sticks to be used at a later time out from storage and onto the deck, plus she just liked to listen as Sully got his ass handed to him from time to time. It was all in good fun... sort of.

Needless to say, mid afternoon came far too slowly for any of their tastes and when it finally came, they were all itching to spring into action. They all had those ugly yellow and orange, water proof jumpers on, boots a size too big on their feet, and they were leaning back against the edges and crates around the deck. Waiting. Waiting for that ok from the captain that would tell them that yes, it was time to have some fun with the day. And they could not, for the love of god, begin to have that fun until he deemed it so. So, they waited.

"Have you ever fished before?"

Deacon looked over from her spot next to Bobby to Murph, squinting a bit from the bright glare of the sun. "Yeah, sure. I mean, I've never actually gone sword fishing before, 'cause honestly... it's a male dominated business. But I've fished before."

Murph got that squinty look on his face Deacon had come to recognize as his semi curious, questioning look. He took a drag from the cigarette he held on to between his thick fingers, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, mostly hobby kind of fishing, ya know? Out at a pond or off the pier kind of stuff." She elaborated, "Mostly with Uncle Billy. He was so in love with the sea and fishing even back then... I guess he kind of transferred a lot of that into me. Brainwashed me at a young age or something." She chuckled, hearing Bobby do the same thing from beside her.

"Think you can handle big league fishing?" Murph continued, eyeing her carefully. He was hesitant to think she could do the kind of work she was setting herself up for, that much she knew. She didn't particularly like the doubt he had in her, but she understood it if nothing else.

She shrugged, turning to lean over the edge around the deck beside Bobby. "Guess we'll find out, huh?" She leaned over kind of far, enough for Bobby to keep an eye on her as she did, it made him grin again as he watched her just watch the waves lapping at the sides of the boat, breathing in the salt air. Her features were soft with the kind of love he'd only seen Billy Tyne wear for the sea.

She leaned back up into a safe position against the back of the boat and Bobby, grinning broadly, blew a puff of grey smoke into her face from his own cigarette. She coughed.

"What the hell, Shatford?" She coughed again, striking out at him with the back of her hand. He dodged the 'attack', grinning like a fool at her.

"Figured if I'm gonna get you on level with the rest of us we should slowly start feeding you some nicotine or something. You're the only one that doesn't smoke on board, sweetheart." He gestured at her with his hand, pointing his cigarette at her, "And what's with this 'Shatford' stuff?"

"What about it?"

"How about just 'Bobby'." He grinned at her as a smirk of her own worked over her lips.

"Ok, I will." She turned her face away from him completely, "Just as soon as you stop calling me 'sweetheart'." She shot him a look, "I'm not your sweetheart, Robert Shatford, and I don't smoke, so stop blowing it in my face."

"We'll see..." Was his reply, lifting the cigarette to his lips with a chuckle.

Deacon's brows arched, looking around Bobby to Murph who had a similar expression on his face. The big man shrugged at her, looking amused, but unwilling to show it. She heard Bugsy snickering across the deck, smoking a cigarette himself beside Alfred Pierre.

"We'll see what?" She asked Bobby, turning to face him completely when he just grinned and turned his face from her. "We'll see _what_? Me being your sweetheart or smoking?"

"Depends," He flashed that grin at her, aching a brow and holding his cigarette out to her as well. "Which would you prefer?"

Deacon tried to hold in a smile, dropping her gaze to her too big boots. She shook her head, aware that everyone was watching her, Bobby doing so expectantly. She lifted her eyes to him, studying his face and then gave a bored sigh, "I'd choose the cigarette."

"Oh really?" He countered, sounding unconvinced.

"Yeah really." She nodded once, curtly.

"Yeah, I don't believe you." Bobby flicked the ashes off the end of his cigarette, looking a little smug for Deacon's liking. "It's alright, sweetheart. Just admit it."

"Admit what?" Their tones where still playful, but Deacon's shoulders where starting to tense up. She watched Murph lean over and mutter something to Bobby, she couldn't make the words out, but it had sounded like a warning by tone.

He waved Murph off and looked her in the eyes, "You like me." He grinned at the indignant look that spread over her face, "Just admit you find me sexy as hell. It'll be much easier for you once you have."

"Will it now?" She arched a brow, watching him nod at her with that grin on his face and eyes focused on her face. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"I am."

"Got anything to back it up?"

He made a humming sound at the back of his throat, "I've got my ideas."

"You sure ideas are enough?"

He nodded, jutting out his chin at her.

She let a moment of silence stretch between them, staring him in the eyes in return. The gaze between them was challenging and Deacon knew better then to drop her's first. She reached out, plucking the cigarette from Bobby's hand, giving him a sharp, pointed look as she took a deep draw from the white stick.

She held in the need to cough her left lung up and teasingly blew the smoke out into Bobby's face. The man turned his face from it, smirking to himself with his eyes on the deck - backing out of their little staring duel. Deacon won and she looked the part. "Yeah, I choose the cigarette, _Bobby_."

Bugsy erupted into his snickering laughter, Murph's heavy shoulders shaking as well at Bobby's expense. Even Sully cracked a grin at the man. Bobby looked not quite surprised, but more thoughtful then anything at Deacon's choice.

From up in the wheelhouse, Billy opened up the door and looked down at the crew, hearing them laughing and noticing the humored looks on all of their faces. He also noticed the cigarette between Deacon's fingers and the disgusted look on her face as she tossed it over the into the water.

"If you've got time to cut it up then you ain't working hard enough..." Billy mock scowled at them, waving a hand around at them. "What's so funny?

"Aw, nothing, Cap." Murph answered for them, shaking his head with a side long look at Bobby. "Just Bobby being Bobby. Making an ass outta himself."

Billy smirked, looking the youngest man over for a quick moment and then the rest of them in turn. They were all looking up at him now, mirth forgotten as they awaited orders. The captain shot a look to the sea before him and then, with a deep breath, gave them what they wanted. "Let's go fishing."

The mood lifted once more, Deacon laughing as the guys shot up with loud shouts and wails of pleasure. Murph clapped his hands, immediately going for the bait and sticking a hook through it as Alfred Pierre and Sully tossed out marker buoys. Bugsy jabbed a finger at the radio tied up to a pool and the guys started working and moving and singing along with ZZ Top's 'Tush' blaring through the little radio's speakers. Deacon jumped into work just as fast as the rest, bumping Bobby out of the way and feeding out the line for Murph as he strung up the bait.

It was loud, it was hot and crazy and Deacon soaked it all in. She loved the organized chaos of it and the striking smell of the bait and the rubber of the buoys being tossed over board. The day was beautiful and the sea was a kind of deep blue like she had never seen before. It was amazing.

"1000 hooks in the water before dinner." Murph shouted to the rest as the captain retired back into the wheelhouse, "I want 40 miles out there!"

Deacon clipped another line to the wire, letting the current and the boat pull it out to sea. She heard Murph singing along with the song and laughed, the bigger man grinning in return as she started up herself. Sully tossed out another marker, shouting 'highflyer' as he did and Deacon felt Bugsy grab a hold of her waist from behind and right out danced her out of her position along with the song. The laugher grew, Bobby watching with that happy grin of his on his scruffy face while Bugsy goofed off a little with Deacon.

Turning out of Bugsy's hold, still singing along, Deacon hurried over to help Alfred Pierre toss out another buoy. She felt at home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun set, temperature dropping along with the sun, but the music still blared from the little radio and the crew were still hard at work tossing out markers and buoys and baiting the waters. Things were a lot less loud or crazy and at this point with noone singing along or jumping around on deck... they were getting tired and Deacon had retired into the cabin to get some kind of dinner started for them while the men finished up.

She'd asked around and the boys had decided on pork chops for tonight.

She'd just finished cooking and had been in the process of setting the little table when she heard what sounded like a scuffle out on deck. Her brow furrowed, listening as her uncle came out of his wheelhouse and shouted as well. He was mad, she could hear it in his voice; gruff and pissed, like he had sounded the last time he spoke with her father. She heard something about 'head for land', 'Newfies' and both in jail'... he sounded pretty serious too. Things settled down after that, but she heard Murph respond and then Bugsy making some kind of order of peace or something. She could only guess the fight had been between Murph and Sully... they were always at each other's throats. Not that she could blame Murph; she rather disliked the blond bastard herself after all.

Ten minutes after that she heard them coming in. Sully came stomping in first, shaky and pissed and she actually stepped back and away at the sight of him. Bobby showed up next, wedging himself between Sully and Murph as the big man barreled in as well.

"Sull, come on, just let it go." Bobby was trying to intervene, settle the blond down a little. But Murph wasn't helping; he taunted Sully and ignored Bobby, pointing at the blond threateningly, egging the man on with his 'whenever you're ready. I'll be right here.' as he hefted himself up onto his bunk. The rest of the guys were in now, crowding up the space in the cabin and eyeing Sully and Murph just as cautiously as she and Bobby were doing.

Sully sat at the table, inhaling heavily on his cigarette like he needed it to breath. He was still shaky, twitchy even and Deacon side stepped around him carefully over to Bobby and the rest of the guys around their bunks.

"What the hell?" She hissed at Bobby, looking up at him questioningly. "What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing." Bobby shook his head, rubbing his hand over his face and then settling it on her shoulder. He waved his free hand in dismissal, "Just an argument. Same shit, you know." He told her softly, eyeing Sully as he did, "Just forget it."

"Yeah?" She looked over the man's face thoughtfully, his hand heavy on her shoulder, but warm. She sighed, looking exasperated by the news. Figured. "Well..." She spoke to all the guys now, glancing over Bobby's shoulder to Bugsy and Alfred Pierre, "I was just about to go fetch you guys anyway. Dinner's ready for whoever wants it."

"Yes ma'am." Bugsy pushed forward to the table eagerly. "Please and thank you!"

Deacon grinned, joining the boney man with Alfred Pierre and Bobby coming to the table behind her. Neither Sully nor Murph ate that evening - Murph stuck to his bunk, back turned to the rest of the cabin and Sully sat at the table smoking, all shaky nerved and pissed.

When dinner was done and everyone had had their fill, Alfred Pierre helped Deacon with cleaning up and the rest hunkered down on their bunks to sleep. Deacon settled on the floor again once the cleaning was done and she had delivered some dinner up to Billy in the wheelhouse, listening to Alfred Pierre settle into his own bed. The floor was cold as hell again tonight and Deacon pulled the blanket she had stolen from Bobby the night before tight around her thin frame. It was going to be a long night again tonight.

She was still awake when the snoring began and she listened to the sound with a grimace on her face. It was so _loud_. She turned over, facing Alfred Pierre's bunk and closed her eyes in a vain attempt to fall asleep. A good bit longer into the night, she wasn't sure how long, Deacon heard Bobby's voice from the bunk to her right. She turned over to face him in the dark, grateful for the distraction from the cold and volume of Muph's snoring.

"So, you frozen yet?"

She gave a soft chuckle, "I'm fine."

"Yeah, I doubt that." He shot back and she could hear him shifting around on his bed. The was a pause, then, "Act as tough as you wanna, but I know for a fact that floor turns to ice in here during the night. Something to do with the sea breeze and the water or something..."

"I've got a blanket. I'm fine."

"You're gonna get sick. What use are you on a swordfish boat if you're laid up sick for a week?" Bobby snorted softly after, "Though, knowing you, you'd probably just pluck up and work twice as hard as usual 'cause you're such a hard ass."

Deacon grinned in the dark, "Exactly. Now go to sleep, Bobby."

"Nah, come on..." She heard Bobby move again, cloth of clothes and bedding scratching against each other. He patted his hand heavily against the cheap mattress when she appearently didn't immediately react the way he wanted her to, "Come on. Get up here."

"What?"

"Get up here." Bobby repeated, "You can't tell me you aren't cold. I could hear your bones clatterin' against the floor. Seriously."

"Pfft!" She rolled again, chest pressing against the cold, hard floor. She found herself chuckling again, "Whatever man, you're so full of shit. Bone's clattering..."

"No, come on, I'm serious." Bobby reached out and Deacon was startled when his hand landed warmly on her's. She hadn't been expecting him to actually reach out and touch her, tugging at her hand insistently.

"No." She put up a small struggle, "There's not enough room."

"Who's full of shit now?" Bobby was still insistent, "Get your scrawny ass up here, there's plenty of room."

"Scrawny? _Scrawny_?" Deacon let Bobby tug at her hand and wrist, eventually pulling herself up from the floor and onto Bobby's bed. She continued to half struggle, making it seem like she didn't want to settle there even though the second she felt the warm mattress beneath her cold form she wanted nothing more then to burrow down into it and never get up again. She hid it well, scowling at the man now beside her, "My ass is fabulous and you know it."

"Yeah, whatever."

"What's that?" She chuckled, leaning up on her elbow and looking down at him, "So you admit it then?"

"What? No." His brow furrowed, lips stretched in a wide grin.

"You think my ass is fabulous."

"_What_? When did I ever say that?"

"Just now."

"No. I did not." Bobby argued, "You were the one that said you had a fabulous ass. I said nothing like that."

"Maybe, but you agreed."

Bobby just laughed, "When?"

"When you said 'yeah'." Another laugh from Bobby and she poked him hard in the side, "Yeah, you said 'yeah'. That's agreement."

"No, my exact words were 'yeah, whatever'." Bobby rubbed his side, "The 'whatever' throws your theory."

"Sure..." She hummed softly, voice turning sharp with accusal, "You can't hide it now, Robert Shatford, what with all your 'admit it, you think I'm sexy as hell' shit you were talking about earlier." She grinned when he chuckled, throwing his own words back at him. "Just admit it, you think my ass is fabulous. It'll be much easier for you once you have."

"Whatever..." She could hear the grin in his voice.

She smiled, head tucked down on part of the man's pillow, staring at him in the dark. She paused, pleased expression going slack on her face; she was glad it was too dark in the cabin for Bobby to be able to see it. She'd only known the man for two days, but she was so comfortable with him... too comfortable. She shouldn't have been able to just settle down into a bed beside him, eased by the smell of him on the sheets and take up half his pillow. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face with each exhale that he made.

She chuckled, trying to mask how startled she had just been with how comfortable she had become with a man she didn't even know. Not properly so. She rolled over onto her side, back facing Bobby and scooting as close to the edge of the mattress as she could get without falling off, putting space between their bodies. It was easier to ignore how warm and inviting his body was with a bit of space between them.

Appearently Bobby was aware of something shifting between same as her and shifted himself bodily as well. Deacon felt him turn onto his side, the both of them now laying back to back to each other. There was no goodnight spoke between them, just the shifting and turning away. Things fell silent once more, but it was heavier then before. A silence that really did not belong between them. Deacon immediately decided she didn't like it, but it had to be done. She began to focus on the sound of Murph snoring above her; it had annoyed her before, but now... she let it lull her into sleep.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	5. Chapter 4

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: Glad to please ya! I love Bobby and Deacon's interaction as well - it gets better too! (Hopefully)

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'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Four

Morning came too soon in Deacon's opinion, the already familiar sound of Uncle Billy stomping around the cabin waking her up. She heaved a sigh, tucking her face down into the half of the pillow she was using. She felt warm and comfortable, far too comfortable to be getting up just yet, and never mind the warm body against her's and the back of someone's head tucked against her own. She was too out of it to really care about that. And she understood now, why the men were always so reluctant to pull their tired bones up and out of bed in the morning... her arms were sore from hefting buoys and her back hurt a bit, but really the reluctance came all from the fact that the bed was so warm and comfortable.

She heard Bugsy jump down off his bunk, landing wobbly on the floor and Deacon snorted softly to herself, glad she wasn't still sleeping down there. Bugsy would have landed flat on her face if she had been.

"Come on." She heard Billy gruff out, "Let's go!"

Bobby was moving around beside her now and it finally dawned on her; she remembered the night before. She moved and sat up quick enough after that, rubbing the pads of her fingers into her eyes as the rest of the guys pulled themselves out of bed. She felt a little flushed, Bobby bumping into and brushing against her as he sat up and turned around.

Someone slammed their hand against the underside of the table. Deacon figured it was to wake up Sully. And the lights went on in the cabin as she stood up and dagged herself into the line with the men as they headed out onto the deck. They tugged on bright jumpers and boots, nobody really speaking to anyone as they got lines, gaffs and equipment ready for the job at hand - they were ringing in the fish this morning.

The sun wasn't even completely up yet and Deacon looked around at the sleep still hanging heavily in the men's eyes. The early morning sea breeze was swiftly blowing that out of all of their systems though.

"Let's go, boys!" Deacon looked up as Captain Tyne hurried down to the deck from the wheelhouse, "Let's go! Come on!"

Bobby set out the line for the captain and then each of them, silent as death, took a gaff and huddled up near by. It was time to wait again, watching anxiously to see the captain pull something up for them to carve up and store for pay. Deacon could feel Bobby beside her, behind her, and she fought that flush down again... at the same time she felt at ease with him near. Talk about confusing. She scowled at herself, watching her uncle and the emotions playing over his worn face.

The first line was a bust, she had seen it on Billy's face before he even handed it over to Murph to cast aside. He was disappointed, she knew, but with the way everyone was looking at him she knew it would be hard not to feel disappointed by it.

"Do it, Skip, do it." She glanced over she shoulder at Bobby, hearing him softly cheering her uncle on. It pulled a hint of a grin on her face to see him focused on the other man, thumb rubbing against the cold side of his gaff nervously. "Make a killin'..."

"One's on."

She felt the jolt in excitement in the men around her. The jolt ten folded when Murph looked back at them and confirmed the captain's words. Out from the dark morning waters came the sword and the men jumped at it like starved dogs. Their energy was back as Murph reeled her in, gaffs going out and trying at a grab at the fish. It was like earlier the day before when they first started baiting up the waters. They pulled her in, the crew hauling her up together. She was a good size too!

Deacon felt Bobby's hand land on her shoulder once the beast was up and flopping on deck, Bugsy jumping on her to end her struggle. The man didn't say anything to her, but the twinkle in his eye was enough in itself.

They went back to work, every one of them shouting and jumping in excitement when a fish was hauled up and waiting with baited breath when one did not. The excitement started to wear down as the morning went on... the fish seemed to get smaller and smaller with each one caught. It was disheartening and the displeasure was written on everyone's faces even if they didn't voice the disappointment aloud. With the captain around, voicing any complaints about the fish or the set they were bring up was a major taboo. It just didn't happen and for good reason too.

Blood was staining the deck, slick underneath boots and sending them sliding unsteadily here and there. At one point Deacon nudged Alfred Pierre in the side, catching his attention as she sat her gaff aside and nodded towards the fish he had laid out by him. He'd been gutting them for most of the morning.

"Teach me how it's done?" She asked, grinning at the dumbfounded look he gave her. She nodded, "Come on, please? Show me how..."

He shrugged, shifting over to let her settle down where he had been. He gave his knife to her, speaking in his broken English as he pointed out where to cut the fish open. She did as she was told, cutting into the wet, rubbery flesh and then helped him heft all the goopy, gut matter inside out. He laughed at her afterward, Deacon joining him; her hands and arms were covered in the deep red of the fish's blood.

"Jesus Christ," She heard Bugsy exclaim and she looked over to see him nudge her uncle. "Cap, I know you said not to, but I'm thinkin' of makin' a pass that one. Girl that'll cut into a fish like that; I think I'm in love."

"Hey, she ain't nobody's sweetheart, remember?" Bobby teased, winking at her. "She'll take a cigarette over a man any day, remember?"

"That was you, Bobby." She teased right back, cleaning her hands off as best she could, "I never said anything about not being Bugsy's sweetheart."

"Alright, alright," Billy intervened, chuckling along with Deacon at the look on Bobby's face. "No sweethearts on board, got it? They're illegal, alright?"

"Aye, aye, Skip."

They went back to work, hauling in and cutting up whatever came in. It was hard to over look, though, when the fish stopped coming up. It soon got to a point when nothing, not even little amount to nothing things got pulled up anymore and they had been forced to give up. A few of them went down into the coolers and packed what they had, neither saying a thing, but knowing the set wasn't worth much at all.

They cleaned up, heading in for a quick meal that wasn't breakfast, but also wasn't really lunch either - it was stuck in between the two and as soon as they finished they were out on deck again, baiting the waters and throwing out buoys just like the day before. The radio came on and moods lifted. They sang along, got into a few arguments, but mostly just enjoyed the sun on their faces and necks as they scurried along the deck, hard at work. Skip came down once or twice, or really he was just checking up on things, looking over the men and Deacon thoughtfully before retiring again to the wheelhouse. Deacon even talked Murph into trading off with her as evening crept up on them and the big man ended up heading in earlier then the rest and made dinner. It gave Deacon the chance to have Bobby or Bugsy teach her how to bait the waters like Murph did, which she had been itching to do since the day they set out. She ended up being not half bad at it. Much slower then Murph, but not bad.

Sully was in a foul mood again at dinner, or maybe that was just how he always was. Deacon wouldn't have been surprised if it was just that. He wore a sneer on his face as Murph severed the lasagna he had made out to the crew and Deacon scowled at the sight of it.

"I put so much ground beef and sausage in this, it weighed out at 20 pounds." Murph joked, taking a seat beside Deacon and across Bugsy.

Deacon smiled at the comment, nodding her head. "Thank you, Murph. I appreciate you doing the cooking tonight."

"No problem," He dug into his meal with a grin, "I don't mind doing it now and then. Good practice I guess."

Sully snorted, "It weighs more then most of our fish."

"Skipper say anything about us comin' up short?" Bobby asked around a mouthful, eyeing Sully a lot like he had the night before. Deacon looked between the two, eyes narrowed at Sully.

"He's too scared to say." Sully shot back, head up and turned to Bobby.

"Skipper don't get scared." Alfred Pierre spoke up, saying more words then Deacon had heard from him the entire trip. "Just disappointed."

Deacon nodded, agreeing with the darker skinned man.

"You know why this lasagna weighs 20 pounds?" Sully ground out again, this time looking to Murph as he stabbed his meal and held it up on his fork in front of him. He tossed it back down on his plate, upsetting a bowl of salad in the process, "It tastes like you threw in a shot put."

"Shut up, Sullivan." Deacon ground out herself, "I don't see you makin' an effort in the kitchen."

"Well why the hell weren't you doin' the cooking?" He snapped at her, "It's all you're fuckin' good for..."

Deacon snorted, "Comin' from the asshole who plays with the light sticks all night..."

"Hey," Bobby cut in, stopping Sully's growl before it got out. "Enough, alright?" He gave Deacon a look when she tried to argue with him and she shut her mouth as well, "Lets just eat, alright?"

The crew nodded, Bugsy watching Sully thoughtfully and Deacon turning her attention to her plate to avoid having to look at the disagreeable blond across from her. The only sound around came from the soft clank of silverware on plates, chewing, and the wind whistling by outside.

"You know," Murph started up again, breaking the silence. He was looking at Sully. "I once worked a site with a guy like you. He had a real bad accident."

Sully focused on Murph, turning in his seat slightly and lighting up a cigarette.

"Can't even keep track of them with so many accidents happenin' out at sea." Murph continued, Sully blowing out a puff of smoke over the table, "Tough to get an ambulance too."

Sully laughed, mocking, egging Murph on. Daring the man. And Deacon wanted so badly to smack him in the jaw, but the way Bobby was looking at her she knew better then to follow her urges. It made her scowl and wonder, though, way a word or look from Bobby should make her do anything. She hated to think about the kind of power the man had over her by being able to do such a thing to her.

"Keep it up." Murph warned Sully around chewing, staring the blond down.

Deacon shook her head. The man was such an ass.

After diner was over and things had been cleaned up a bit, Deacon ended up back in Bobby's bunk for the night. It had taken a lot of coaxing and baiting from the dark-haired man, but eventually she had given in and laid down with her back against the man's like the night before. It was better then the floor by a long shot and the other guys had let the issue go with only minor taunting. She had hopped to go straight to sleep, ignore the fact that she was laying in a bed with this man again, but Bobby wouldn't give her any peace tonight it seemed.

"You like living up in Manchester?"

He felt more then heard the heavy sigh that left his new bed mate. It was a weird sensation, feeling her back press into his from behind; it left a kind of tingle in his spine that he wasn't accustomed to. Though, he reasoned to himself that the oddity was because he'd never shared a bed with someone where he felt he had to be careful not to cross a line with. It hadn't been that way the entire time, no, at first it had been very natural and easy laying next to Deacon like this... but, something had happened. The night before, one second they were joking and having a stand up time and the next... she had turned her back on him and he had felt the way her spine had tensed. He could practically feel the warmth drain from her the moment it seemed to dawn on her that she was laying in a tiny bunk beside him. Also, it wasn't his Christina beside him - that alone should have been enough to tell him to keep a reasonable distance from this woman.

"No. Not really," She answered him, tone completely honest, voice slightly muffled as she spoke against the hand she had tucked near her mouth, "But what can I do, right? It's still technically my home, even if it hardly ever feels like it."

"Ever thought of comin' back to Gloucester? Get reacquainted with your roots?"

"Mm-m, once or twice." Another sigh from Deacon, back brushing up against his, "It's just not so simple as just comin' back."

"Sounds simple to me." He countered, shifting behind her. As uncomfortable with the position he was in, Bobby marveled at how easy it was to still talk to the girl. "You could stay on site here with Skip. Stay out on the sea and fish and do all the shit all of us love to do all the time."

He felt her chuckle.

"Yeah, it sounds simple when you say it all like that. Sounds great like that. But I don't have the money to be movin' off on my own right now and I wont anytime soon. Even to Gloucester's out of my price range."

"Skip... I bet he'd probably give you some space of your own at his place. You are his niece."

"I couldn't do that to him, Bobby."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters, he's already done so much for me." She shrugged against the mattress, "Things weren't always so great for me when I was a kid. Mom died when I was pretty young and she and dad fought a lot before that, after she died he got even more distant then he had been before and had little to no time to waste on some little girl he hardly knew. Never mind that the girl was his own daughter. Uncle Billy was a lot like a life saver for me, despite how stupid that might sound..." She laughed at herself, biting her bottom lip, "He helped me escape a lot, from the fighting and arguing and then the solitude when I was younger... took me fishing. Distracted me. Until my father, being the ass that he is, decided Uncle Billy was a bad influence on me and since my mother was dead I shouldn't bother interacting with the people on her side of the family. They got in a huge fight and dad ended up moving us out of Gloucester to Manchester to keep me from him. Didn't see him for years other then for a few hours, like, eight years ago at my grandmother's funeral. And now he's gone and given me a place on his site, knowing full well that my father will probably have his ass when we get back... accuse him of kid napping me or some crazy shit."

She paused to let out a sigh, "So, no, Bobby, I can't ask him to do any more for me."

Bobby seemed to think long and hard on this, a silence stretching out between them long enough that Deacon had figured he was going to let the issue go. She was wrong, again, and felt the man turn onto his back behind her, voice sounding louder in her ear with the new position.

"Then you could rent out the room above the bar my Ma runs. It's called the Crow's Nest and it's nothing great or anything, but it's a place to live, right?"

"Bobby..." She shook her head, chuckling at him, "I just told you I don't have the money."

"Yeah, but it's my Ma. I could talk her down to a price you could afford, maybe even let you live on credit or something for a while. Something like that?"

"Damn, Shatford, you sure are determined to get me back out to Gloucester." She chuckled over her shoulder at him, "Besides, how do you even know that place will be vacant by the time I did get out there?"

"'Cause I'm living there right now." He informed her, drawing an interested sound from her throat, "And me and my girl, Christina, are movin' out of there as soon as I get back according to her. So I could just hold on to the place for you 'til you decided to show up."

"Ah... I see." Her brow furrowed, dark eyes studying the darkness of the cabin in front of her. She turned back over her shoulder again, "Christina?"

"Yeah, Christina Cotter." She could hear the smile in his voice, making her grin in return despite how irritatingly disappointed she had suddenly become.

"She the one what gave you that shiner under your eye?" She laughed at Bobby, hand coming back and catching the man somewhere on his forehead. His hand swatted at her's, returning the chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe."

"The two of you get in fist fights often?"

"Nah..." The grin was still in his voice when she pulled her hand back around and away from him, "She just didn't want me to leave again so soon."

Deacon nodded, pausing.

"Way you talk about her I can bet she's beautiful."

"She is. She's got these eyes, ya know? Real deep and honest, intense eyes. Beautiful brown eyes. Soft hair..." He paused in his description and Deacon could practically _feel_ the love he felt for this woman. "She's so beautiful, inside and out though, not just in her face. Makes me wonder what the hell she's doin' with me sometimes." She could feel his head turn on the pillow to look at her in the dark, "You should meet her sometime. Think you two'd get along perfect."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He grinned again, "Just another reason you should come back to Gloucester. No sense staying in a place that doesn't make you happy anyway..."

She sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I'm telling you, Bobby, it isn't that simple."

"Jesus, Deac, how much simpler can I make it for you?"

"What if it was you instead of me?" She asked him, voice all sudden sounding. "What if I was telling you to drop everything and come move to Manchester?"

"It's not the same thing..."

"Sure it is. Would it be so simple to do if it meant you had to leave Christina behind and move even though you don't have the money to even be entertaining the idea of movin' anywhere?"

He was silent again. Deacon knew she'd got him there.

"I see your point." He muttered behind her, head still turned to stare at the back of her's. He shifted his weight on the mattress, "So... so, uh, would you be dropping everything and leaving someone behind if you came back to Gloucester?"

"..." She swallowed, letting out a breath from her nose in one long rush of hot air. She chewed on her tongue, taking her time with the answer. "Yeah. Actually, I would be."

"What's his name?"

"Thomas Reeves," She didn't sound all that pleased, not like Bobby had been talking about Christina. He might have picked up on it, or he might not have. "He's my fiancé."

This was news to Bobby, the dark haired man lifting his head off the pillow, trying to get a look at her face in the dark. He hadn't seen any sort of ring on the girl's finger since he'd met her or heard or seen any other indication that might even suggest she was a bride to be.

"Really? Well... congratulations."

"Yeah... thanks." She muttered, tucking her head down further on the half of the pillow she was using.

"What's he like?"

"Who? Thomas?" She felt him nod; she sighed again, pausing to collect her thoughts. "Well, Thomas... Thomas is... he's a lawyer. Back in Manchester."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She went on, sounding mildly put down about it all. "He's a good one, I guess. I've never heard about him ever not winning one of his cases." Deacon shifted on the bed, turning to lay on her back beside Bobby; she could feel him looking at her. "He's got real short blond hair. Um... brown eyes? Yeah. Brown eyes. Always clean shaven, straight laced, a right proper man. You know the kind right?" She chuckled, hearing him chuckle back, "Afraid of looking shabby and losing money more then he is of dying."

She shook her head, feeling their temples brushing each other as they lay together.

"When's the wedding?"

"...October."

Deacon practically felt the way Bobby frowned at her, felt the man shift up onto his elbows to look down at her in the dark. Look down at her like he could see her.

"October? Deac, I don't think we're gonna be back in time. I don't think Skip was plannin' to get back to port until mid November or something."

"I know..."

"What the hell you doin' out here then?" He sounded alarmed, "I could be wrong, but doesn't being the bride mean you're kinda the star of the show?"

She chuckled.

"It ain't funny, Deac. What kind of wedding doesn't have a bride for the groom?"

"Yeah, well it's not like I've got to go explaining myself to you..." She snapped softly, turning her face away from the man, but staying flat on her back beside him.

"Well I think you should."

"How you figure that?"

"'Cause I wanna know."

"We can't all always get what we want, Bobby."

"So, what?" She heard him shifting again, like he was trying to see her in the dark again, "You just gonna stand the man up or something? Does he even know you're here?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no. He doesn't. Knowing my father, though, in about a week they'll have traded notes and figured it out." She paused for a breath, "I know it sounds awful to someone like you, being in love with your girl and all... but to me standing him up is the best thing I could ever do for myself."

"How _you_ figure?"

"Were you not listening to me?" She turned her head back around, facing him in the dark. "Everything I told you about him. Honest to god, Bobby, could you see me married to someone like Thomas? Living in a high class community with a house three times the size of anything I've ever lived in before? Dresses and cocktail parties with all his lawyer friends? A maid service? Good lord, Bobby, I'd have to were make-up and a bra for the rest of my life, does that sound like happiness to you?"

Bobby laughed out loud at this, earning the both of them a gruff, sleep hoarse bark from Murph above them to 'shut the hell up'. This made Deacon laugh as well, lifting her leg to kick at the underside of Murph's bunk. She swatted out at Bobby as well, back of her hand landing smartly against his stomach. He groaned softly around his slowly softening laughter, grabbing at the hand she had slapped against his middle and unthinkingly holding onto it.

"Really, think about it." She continued, over looking the fact that the man was holding her hand in his against his stomach. "I'd be expected to go to those, like, tea party things with other wives and shit. Get my hair and nails done... Bobby, I bite the hell out of my nails. I don't paint them for a reason, understand? I haven't worn a dress since I was ten years old. I'm... I'm not meant for that kind of a life, Bobby."

"Yeah?" The man chuckled, "Yeah... the thought of you in a bra is scary."

"I'm serious." She scowled, chuckling despite herself. "We'd end up living in the city. Forget about sailing ever again, I couldn't even fish. I'd never see Uncle Billy again... it'll be awful, Bobby." Her voice faltered, sounding thin and distracted by her thoughts, "I'd die."

Bobby was silent and so was she, both thinking about individual thoughts. It wasn't until Deacon felt the man's thumb rubbing slowly against her hand that she realized he had been holding onto the limb for a while now. The awkward feeling returned, reminding her again like the night before that they were entirely too close and she was far too relaxed with this man - it made it worse now knowing he was in love with a woman who was waiting for him back in Gloucester. Still, she didn't think tearing her hand away now would be the best thing to do, not with how he seemed to be ok with it. And if he didn't think he was breaking any rules, then she had no business to think so either.

"Well, never mind any of that, alright?" Bobby was speaking again now, Deacon tilting her head just so to listen more intently to his words. "You don't wanna marry the guy, then don't marry him. Simple as that." He felt her fixing to argue and cut her off, "And if he's waiting on the dock to take you back to Manchester when we pull in, then don't you forget that you've got a boat full of guys now that would get into a fight for you."

She chuckled at that, "Really?"

"Yeah really..." He shrugged, his shoulder brushing her's, "And... you know, if the guys wont, then... I still would."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Her heart leapt up into her throat, brows furrowed over dark eyes and lips stretched into an almost saddened smile. The saddest thing was that she believed him. She knew he would.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	6. Chapter 5

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict: Happy to hear from you again. I'm glad you enjoyed the updates, and I hope to hear some feedback from you again soon!

LaLa-036: Well, I figured it would be wronging Christina in a way I wasn't prepared to do if I made Bobby just cast her from his mind. He loved her too much to simply forget about her. It'd be cruel and fake, in my opinion, to make things _that_ easy.

Glynnis007: Thank you so much for letting me know what you think about it! I know what you mean with the lack of time; it's getting hard for me to find time to get anything for this story written now days. Anyway, thank you for the comments and I'm glad to hear that you'll continue to read!

* * *

'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Five

As disgustingly sweet and girly as it sounded, Deacon couldn't ignore how much she liked waking up beside Robert Shatford. Bobby. It'd been a hand full of days, she wasn't sure how many exactly, since that first night the man had talked her into sharing his bunk with him and now it was like second nature for her to crawl in beside him when the lights went out in the cabin. She'd gotten comfortable with it, not bothering to mind which direction she was facing anymore and not caring if they ended up shifting in their sleep to wake up touching in some manner. Her favorite mornings were to wake up before the man and find them facing each other - she liked to look over his handsome face all relaxed and soft, jaw dark with the scruff he didn't bother to shave off and dark hair matted against his forehead and the side of his face. The moments didn't last long with either Uncle Billy stomping around with his wake up call or Bobby himself feeling her gaze and waking up, but she loved them.

He was especially loveable in those moments, though, and Deacon secretly prayed for every day to start just like that. Not that it mattered once they were all up and working out on deck. No, during the day, when everyone was awake and alert, she kept a reasonable distance from the man and was careful not to notice just how handsome he was in the sunlight or how much she liked the warm color of his eyes. She was careful not to smile too broadly when the man laughed or when he brushed her shoulder while passing. They still teased each other, but Deacon payed more attention to what she said and responded to. She didn't want this bothersome little crush of her's to get out in the open, least of all to Bobby himself.

One early morning though, while she and the men (her boys, as she liked to call them now), Deacon found herself being pulled away from the group and guided up to the wheelhouse by her uncle. The man didn't look angry, so Deacon wasn't really all that worried by the way he suddenly broke her away from the 'pack', but she felt anxious by the way he leaned against the table and stared at her with his arms crossed from across the room.

"Somethin' wrong, uncle Billy?" Deacon asked, her brow arched. She knew he could easily see the caution in her face and hear it in her voice.

"I'm not sure just yet." Billy answered, still looking at his niece like he was trying to gauge some reaction from her without necessarily coaxing one out of her.

She averted her gaze, looking around the wheelhouse like there might be something sitting out that would clue her in to what the man was getting at. She saw nothing out of place and felt the frown building on her brow. She looked back at her uncle, expectantly.

"See, I didn't say anything sooner 'cause I didn't figure there was anything going on. I hope nothing's going on now, but I'm just not so sure if that's the case anymore, Deac."

"What are you talking about?" Her frown deepened. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, nerves starting to buzz in her veins.

"There something going on between you and Bobby that I should know about, Deac?"

Deacon stood dumbfounded before her uncle, stunned and uncertain if she had understood his question right or not. After it had sunk in, the girl realizing just what the man was saying, Deacon felt her face heat up beneath his gaze.

"No!" Deacon nearly shouted, watching Billy's brows lift over his eyes at it. "My god, uncle Billy! No, of course not. What...? Why the hell would you even ask me that?"

Billy Tyne shrugged, looking rather unconvinced by her denial. "Just been noticing some things lately... like how you and he are sharing a bunk at night-"

"Just 'cause the floor gets cold at night!" Deacon cut in.

Billy held up a hand, stilling her words. "I know, I never questioned that. I'm just saying... I didn't think anything of it at first 'cause yes, the floors get cold at night, and at first I'd come in to wake you guys and you two'd be back to back. Making an effort to put some space between you."

"Exactly! We weren't-"

"Don't interrupt me, Deac." Billy gave her a pointed look, making Deacon shut her mouth and listen as the man continued. "But lately... I don't know what to think of it, Deacon. I come in there and he's holdin' onto your hand or you two are pressed up close together and all." He shook his head, watching her face flush again as he described it, "I just feel like there's a line being crossed here that shouldn't be."

Deacon paused for a moment, making sure the man was finished speaking. "Look... there is nothing, _nothing_, going on between me and Bobby. Nothing. He's my friend and... and we're just friends. He offered me a place in his bunk so I wouldn't have to sleep on the floor and I took it 'cause I was cold and yeah, I like him." She shrugged almost violently, flushed and avoiding her uncle's eyes. "I do. I like him, but the same as I like all the other guys here. We're friends."

Billy nodded, dark eyes narrowed on her face. He looked skeptical. "Yeah? And what about this 'sweetheart' business? He's always callin' you 'sweetheart'."

"That's 'cause he thinks he's funny." Deacon scowled softly, "I've told him to stop it. I tell him not to call me that all the time, but it's like an annoying little nickname that's stuck and wont go away. I don't think he even realizes he says it half the time..."

Billy stared at her a while, just looking at her in the face. Deacon held his gaze as best she could, looking away when it got to be too uncomfortable - she still felt warm in the face, so that wasn't helping either. After what felt like forever to the young woman, Billy finally dropped his gaze and scratched at the back of his head with a labored sigh.

"Fine." He nodded to himself, but Deacon wasn't so sure he was nodding because he believed her despite what he said or just out of temporary acceptance. He gave her a look, pinning her with a sharp and warning stare, "Ok. Just remember what you told me, Deacon. You said the two of you were just friends... make sure it stays that way."

She nodded, feeling her heart beating crazy fast in her throat as he dismissed her. She held onto the railing tightly as she climbed down the steps back to the dock with the guys; she could feel them all looking at her between tossing out buoys and baiting the water and she hoped to god she wasn't as red in the face as she felt. She hated the idea of them catching her blushing. Avoiding their gazes, Deacon just jumped right back into things.

"Hey..." Bobby came up along side her, his eyes on her face. Deacon felt her face flame up again with the source of all her problems on board so close again, "You alright? What'd Skipper want?"

She supposed it was the concern she heard in his voice that had gotten her to answer, "Nothing. I'm fine. He just had some question to ask me is all."

"What kind of questions?" Bugsy was asking her questions now and Deacon felt herself scowl. It was bad enough having Bobby try to butt into things and pry answers out of her, but having Bugsy doing the same thing was just too much for her.

"The personal kind." She gave Bugsy a look, scowling at the buoy she hefted up when the man backed off. "It was nothing, alright? Just stupid family stuff..."

They all seemed to accept this well enough and everyone returned to their own work on deck. Deacon could still feel Bobby staring at her through out the day's work though and she was careful never to look up and meet his undoubtedly curious and soft gaze, afraid of what the man might see if she dared look him in the eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Everyone's moods were starting to progressively darken with each day. They weren't catching much anymore and what they did catch was so pathetic no one was willing enough to call it a swordfish. Murph and Sully were at each other's throats all the time now days, Alfred Pierre seemed to mope constantly, Bugsy was snippy as well, and Deacon and Bobby's 'relationship' seemed more strained then usual. Though, Deacon guessed a lot of that tension between herself and Bobby was her own fault... ever since that morning in the wheelhouse with Uncle Billy, Deacon had tried to distance herself from the man. It hurt to do it, but she did it anyway.

Those favored moments in the dawning hours were nonexistent by now since Deacon was so careful to keep her back to the man at night. She'd wake up looking at the cold floor or across to Alfred Pierre's bunk now and she hated it. She missed the warm tingle that would start in the pit of her stomach and work itself up her chest and throat, missed the soft wheezing snore right in her ears and the way he smelled like sea spray and warm spice. She missed the unmistakable smell of Bobby - she still got it sometimes, but not so much as before. Not nearly as wonderfully as before.

She loved her uncle, but damn it all if she didn't hate his guts some mornings now.

Deacon was already awake when her uncle came barreling in late one evening. The crew had retired after baiting in the morning to rest and prepare for more fishing later that night and now, all too soon, Billy was slamming his hand on tables and barking out his usual wake up calls to the lot of them. She sighed, sitting up and immediately getting ready for the job... she frowned. It sounded like it was raining - that would make things a bit more difficult for her and the rest of the guys.

Perfect.

Pulling her hair back from her face, staring at the floor blankly, lost in her own thoughts, Deacon didn't feel Bobby come up behind her until he was already there. She jumped when he touched her shoulder, gasping softly and scowling at him afterward.

"Jesus Christ, Bobby... don't do that." Deacon's gaze strayed from the man to the rest of their group filing out the cabin door. She moved to follow them, heart suddenly in her throat, but Bobby reached out and stopped her with a hand on her forearm.

"Hey, wait a second," Bobby began, a frown on his face with the way she looked at him. "I got a bone to pick with you..."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I think I do." He opened his mouth to continue, but Deacon interrupted him.

"Can this wait til later, Bobby? They're all waiting out on deck for us."

"I'd rather not." He took a step closer to her, staring down their height difference at her, hand lifting up to touch the side of her face. "What's going on, Deac? I mean the other day you and me are great pals, talking all night long and cuttin' up like fools, and now you wont even look at me."

"I am looking at you!"

"No you're not." Bobby pressed, frown deepening, "Half the time you're lookin' at your damn shoes! When you do look at me you're all startled and shit like you didn't mean for me to see you lookin'. What the hell is that?"

Deacon struck out, knocking the man's hand off her face. She felt nearly panic stricken when Bobby had reached out and touched her like that, so intimately, eyes boring into her's so intensely. It had been terrifying to say the least.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shatford, but this isn't the time for all this heart to heart talking shit!" Deacon practically shouted at the man, taking the first few stomps away from him.

"So now you're back to 'Shatford' again?" Bobby pursued her across the cabin, his own voice raising angrily along with her's.

"Drop it!" She turned on him, shouting and fixing him with a hard glare that left no room for argument. She poked him hard in the chest, jaw tense and dark eyes ablaze with anger. "What I do and how I act is my own fucking business! I don't have to explain anything to you! If I don't feel like talking to you, then I'm not gonna talk! If I don't wanna look at you, then god damn it I'm not gonna look at you! Stopping acting like a pansy-ass little girl and leave me the hell alone!"

"Well fuck you then!"

"Fuck you!" Deacon shouted back, the two of them slamming things around in their wake as they left the cabin. Both fuming, steaming, stomping angrily when they reached the deck and violently grabbing at gaffs while the rest of the crew just stared.

Hours passed, the crew working around the clock in the pouring rain. The weather had steadily gotten worse, along with Deacon and Bobby's moods - they avoided each other the entire time they worked out on deck, brushing past each other only when necessary and doing so violently. Billy shot Deacon a look here and there, one the young woman returned with a heated and warning glare, having no desire at all to explain her behavior or the argument he undoubtedly heard part of earlier.

The crew had already began to give up hope of catching anything at all when Billy announced that they did actually having something on a line. Finally. Enough of the tension evaporated on deck long enough for the crew to group up together, eyes dark with want, dripping and soaked from the rain as they waited for the captain to reel in their first and only catch this evening. Nothing in all the world could have prepared them though for what came up with the line...

"Bring it up!" The men shouted, Deacon among them. Billy and Murph pulled at the line, grins on their faces through the rain as the rest held gaffs at the ready. But with the rain came tossing seas and a wave slammed up against the side of the boat, tipping her on the water and sending their catch straight up on deck with them and knocking Bobby clear over.

Shouts of alarm rose up from everyone when they caught their balance, looking over after the fallen man to see their catch had indeed been a big one. It was a shark, a huge great white with razor teeth and furious black eyes and it had Bobby pinned up against the far wall of the ship. It was chomping away, trying to take a bite. Deacon felt the panic well up inside of her again, watching Bobby kick around, trying to dislodge the shark and avoid its teeth.

"Get the gaff! Get it out of here!" Billy and the men were shouting, sliding around on deck in as much of a frenzy as Deacon. The girl saw her uncle rushing up to the wheelhouse, knowing he was after the shotgun he kept hidden up there as Sully charged forward with his gaff at the shark. "Stick him. Stick it in his head!"

Deacon joined the men, shouting and stabbing her gaff at the shark same as the rest, trying to get a hold on the beast and toss him back over the edge. She didn't know what she was shouting anymore, only felt her throat going raw with it and heard the way her blood was rushing in her ears. Bobby cried out and she went cold, seeing the man's leg miss his target and practically slide right into the shark's open mouth. Bugsy fell over, slipping, taking her down with him on the slick deck.

Her shouting and panicked screaming of the man's name was drowned out among the rest of the frantic shouting and the storm around them. Deacon was momentarily jolted out of her own personal panic by the shrill blast from the shotgun her uncle had returned with, blowing a fist sized hole in the shark's head. Killing the beast instantly. Murph, Sully, and Alfred Pierre hauled the shark back from Bobby and over the edge while Billy and Bugsy rushed forward to the dark-haired man.

Deacon felt the breath in her lungs give out and clawed her way back up and against Bugsy's side, watching as Bobby's boot was yanked off to reveal the ugly, bleeding wounds the shark's teeth left behind. She heard Bugsy laugh, moving to stand again, along with a chuckle from her uncle and so was able to keep her cool if only for another moment.

"You're short a boot, rookie!" Bugsy snickered loudly, patting Bobby's knee before running off.

"Beats a leg, don't it?" Billy joked, trying to make light of the situation. He grasped the back of Bobby's neck, affection leaking through the gesture as Bobby tried to catch his breath, squinting at the captain through the heavy rainfall.

Deacon was startled when her uncle addressed her, looking at the man wide eyed and breathing heavily. The man saw the panic in her eyes, dropping a hand to her slim shoulder through the rain gear and hefted her up on her feet again, "Deacon?" He started, talking loud and slow to her, brow furrowed with a worry Deacon was blind to at the moment, "Help me with Bob here, alright? Help me bring him inside..."

He got a slow nod out of his niece, following his lead and helping with guiding Bobby back inside the cabin and down on the cheap leather seat of the table. Once Bobby was down, Billy forced Deacon down on a chair in front of the wounded man, pulling out a first aide kit and handing it to her, making his movements slow and deliberate for the 'shell shocked' girl.

"Deac... Listen to me. Deacon?" He waited for her too look him in the eyes before continuing, "You stay here and clean up Bobby, got it? Fix his leg up, alright?"

Deacon just stared a moment, rain water dripping from her hair into her eyes. She shook her head, jerking slightly with a furrow of her brow, "Oh, yeah! Yeah! Yeah, ok... yeah."

Billy nodded, watching a second longer as Deacon turned to the kit in her hands and set it on the table, opening it up to get out all the things she would need to clean up Bobby's leg. He left soon after, heading out on deck to help his men clean up the mess the shark and wave had caused, hoping the task he'd given his niece would help her focus and snap her out of the panic he'd seen erupting in her a moment before.

Soaked to the bone and panting from the adrenalin rush still pumping through his jerky veins, Bobby watched the captain leave the cabin with a furrow caught in his brow. His gaze shifted to Deacon, watching the worry in her own brow crease over her dark eyes as she pulled off her rain gear and dropped it to the floor, getting it out of her way as she prepared to clean up his leg. Even having had the bulky yellow jacket on the clothes she wore underneath were soaked, and her hair was dripping and matted against her face, a shade darker then usual with all the water in it. She looked pale, her eyes wider then he ever remembered seeing them, and her lips almost seemed to tremble now and then as he watched her move in front of him. He hissed softly when he felt her lifted his leg into her lap, unprepared for the action, wound jolted by it - he almost wanted to glare at her for it, or at least he did until he saw the apologetic look in her eyes when she met his own for the first time since their 'falling-out' earlier. He saw the raw concern and worry she had for him then, realized that being mad at him for whatever reason was the last thing on her mind right now.

Her fingers were as tender as they could possibly be against his torn and bleeding calf, drawing a hand towel over the limb in an attempt to dry it off and wipe away some of the blood before dressing it.

"How's it look, doc?" He tried at joking, giving a tentative grin in hopes this whole mess between them could just blow over and they could go back to the way they had been. "Think I'll live?"

She nodded, but offered him no vocal answers. This made Bobby pause, looking carefully over her pale face. That tense jawed worry was still hanging heavily over her features. It wasn't anger or annoyance like he had seen before, it was something else entirely. Something he had never seen cross her features, not even once, and almost wished he was wrong about it the moment he realized what it was.

"Deac? You alright?"

She sat the towel aside, immediately grabbing up a bottle of disinfectant in a very incriminating manner from Bobby's point of view. She dabbed at the wound, hesitating when the man tensed at the sting of it, but didn't stop until she was satisfied that she had covered the entire thing properly. Her gaze was focused on his leg in her lap as she worked, attention obviously forced upon it and the sound of the men working out on deck.

"Deacon?" Bobby tried again, stomach sinking with every moment that she didn't answer him. It wasn't until she reached for the gauze that he finally saw the way her hands were shaking, and he knew immediately that he had been right about what was wrong with her now. She was scared.

"Hey..." He took her hand in his, holding it tight between them and running his thumb softly over the top. The contact finally caught her attention, her eyes lifting to stare at his chin. "You alright?" A deep scowl crossed her face.

"I'm fine." She snapped, "You're the one bleeding all over the place! Hold fucking still, Shatford! I need... I need to wrap this stupid white gauze shit around your damn leg!"

Her voice had lifted to near shouting volume, nostrils flared angrily. But the heated of her words were lost when she stumbled over them, voice catching in her throat and Bobby watched her wrap his leg with trembling fingers. Her shoulders were beginning to quake as well, chest heaving heavily. Deacon's jaw was tense and pale face flushing just so beneath her eyes.

"Deac..." Bobby stopped her when she was finished wrapping his leg and began to get up to leave, shifting his leg aside and guided her reluctant form back to the chair she'd occupied. "Deacon, look at me."

She shook her head. Stubborn as a mule even then.

Bobby was careful not to startle the young woman as he smoothed the pads of his callused fingers against her jaw and chin. He lifted her face, sighing when she just clamped her eyes shut in response. There was no winning with this girl. "Sweetheart, what's-"

"Don't call me that!" Her sudden outburst made him jump, but it didn't startle him nearly as much as the wetness he saw building on her dark lashes. She was crying, or trying not to at least, and nothing could have ever made his heart sink so low then seeing that.

"Alright. It's alright..." He tried to sooth her, his fingers brushing wet auburn hair from her face. He found himself lightly cupping the sides of her head in his big hands, watching tears build in her dark eyes. "Deacon, it's ok. What's wrong?"

It was the strangest thing in the world, being tender and soothing towards this woman. Deacon had always been a tough girl, hated this kind of thing and refused to ever show even the slightest hint of vulnerability to anyone. But she was human, he reasoned, and everyone broke down eventually for one reason or another - he just wished he knew what was wrong, what had caused her breakdown.

She reached up and grabbed one of his hands, gripping his against the side of her head and finally let a sob bubble up from her chest with an almost violent heave. He let her, leaning forward to rest his forehead against her's and watched her face crumble, murmuring soothing words to her.

"I was scared..." She forced out as tears began to fall, her face flushed with the effort she had used trying to stop the inevitable water works. "I was so scared, Bobby."

"Why? Of what?" Bobby kept his voice soft. He could smell the salt on her face from her tears, it was a harsh scent, but he didn't care.

"You! The shark!" Another sob cracked her voice as she spoke, fingers gripping tighter to his hand, "I... I saw it come up on deck and then you were...! And we had gaffs but no one could pull it away! And then I fell over and...! Damn it! I froze! I fuckin' froze and I was so scared and then it bit you!"

She kept going, sobbing, crying, ranting about everything she felt in that moment and how helpless she had felt watching it happened. Bobby began shushing her softly, brow furrowed and hands smoothing over her hair now, trying to calm her down. "Hey, hey, it's alright, Deac. I'm fine. Skipper shot the poor bastard and the boys tossed him over, remember? Everyone's alright, sweetheart."

She shook her head, tear streaked face lifting again to look at him. She was trying to scowl, he knew, but the tears ruined the look for her. "I hate it when you call me that."

"Why?" Bobby couldn't help but chuckle, rubbing his thumb against a tear on her face and mopping it up.

"It makes me feel like a stupid little girl. You make me feel like a stupid little girl!"

"Yeah, well maybe you are."

Deacon smacked his hand away from her face at that, trying again to get up and leave the cabin room, "Asshole."

Bobby laughed, grabbing at her again and pulling her back to her chair. "Hey, stop it, I was jokin'. You know I was kidding." He grabbed both sides of her head again, forehead pressed tightly against her's as he looked down at her, "You're the toughest gal I've ever known. You know that too."

"Damn straight." She nodded awkwardly with the position they were in. She sniffed lightly, hand wiping at the tears drying on her cheeks embarrassedly.

"Bet you could have wrestled that shark off the deck with your bare hands if the guys hadn't of been in the way."

"Probably." Her lips quirked into a small grin, feeling the shock slide out of her and her heart leap into her throat as Bobby stared down at her.

"But you know what..." Bobby continued, voice dropping of it's own accord, "You're tough and you're strong, but you're beautiful too. Especially now."

"You're so full of shit." Deacon chuckled nervously, averting her eyes, "I probably look like a drowned cat. My eyes are probably red and puff, I haven't cried in forever. My head hurts and I smell like fish."

"But you're beautiful." Bobby persisted, "Emotion looks good on you. Even better when it's there on account of me."

Deacon felt her face heat up and averted her eyes again. She prayed she wasn't blushing, Bobby had already seen enough of her vulnerable side to last her a life time, she didn't need him seeing that too.

"It safe to assume you ain't sore at me anymore?" Bobby asked after a moment of silence - he'd spent it watching the faint blush coloring Deacon's face.

Deacon shook her head, scowling softly, "I was never sore at you."

"Good. Then can we stop acting like we hate each other? 'Cause that was awful." Bobby chuckled, glad to see her crack a smile too. "What were you so mad about anyway?"

"Nothing." She shook her head, "Just... uncle Billy and his crazy concerns. He's my uncle, I guess he's supposed to worry about things like that, but it was stupid. He had no reason to worry."

"About what?"

She sighed heavily, "He thought we were gettin' it on or something in your bunk at night."

"Mm-m, might not be such a bad idea..." Bobby teased and was rewarded with a scowl and a smack against the side of the head. He laughed. "I was kidding, Deacon."

"Yeah, well he wasn't, so don't do anything stupid." She scowled at him, trying her best to look cross despite feeling the exact opposite.

"Alright, alright..." Bobby chuckled, leaning forward and pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before forcing himself up on his feet. He turned towards the cabin door, speaking over his shoulder to Deacon, "Go ahead and get something warm for breakfast started up. The guys are gonna need it soon."

He left, headed back out to help with whatever he could at this point and Deacon watched him go. Her forehead was hot were he'd kissed her and her face aflame. It hadn't been much of a kiss, being on her forehead, but he had kissed her. Bobby had kissed her. Deacon squashed down a giddy feeling in her chest as she went to distract herself with fixing a warm breakfast for everyone, but she couldn't help but smile as she did.

* * *

REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed! 

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	7. Chapter 6

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: aw, yay! I love Bobby and Deacon together, they're so cute in my head. Lol. I'll get updates out as fast as I possible can, I promise. I hoping to get one out by the end of each week - around Friday or so, maybe before if I can get ahead on a chapter or two. Who knows?

Glynnis007:

Littlemissbookworm: Thank you so much for the review and the offer. I think for right now I'll just stick to how I've been doing it, but I will keep the offer in mind for the future. I'm very glad you've liked it thus far; thanks again!

* * *

'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Six

Things were back to normal with her and Bobby, or they were on the outside at least. Inside, Deacon's entire opinion of the man and the feelings she had for him had taken a wild and dangerous turn, quite possibly for the worse when all was said and done. He was her closest companion onboard and she was alarmed with how easily she could talk to the man, whether it be at night in the bunk they shared or on deck with the others. They worked well together, she'd also noticed, teased and baited each other like crazy while they worked, but always managed to get the job done fast.

She and Bugsy and Murph were pretty close now too. Alfred Pierre kept to his own mostly, but he and Deacon were by no means on bad terms - they really just weren't as close as she was with the others. And Sully, the bastard, was completely outside of the loop. In her opinion, she and he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell to ever get along. It would have to be an act of God himself to ever bring the two of them together on good terms.

Billy hadn't brought up the relationship between his niece and Bobby again since that one morning seemingly forever ago, but Deacon often felt him watching them from the wheelhouse while they worked the afternoon away baiting the waters. She felt bad sometimes, knowing that with how her feelings towards the dark-haired man had changed since her arrival her uncle had ever right to worry for his niece... but only sometimes. Most of the time it just irritated her. The way she saw it uncle Billy should know better then to think she would ever actually act upon her feelings. And Bobby wasn't the sort of man to cheat on his woman back home anyway.

But, the kiss the man had planted on her forehead a few mornings ago had stuck with her. She recalled it often - often enough to remind herself that yes, she was in fact a hopeless little girl at heart who had fallen in love with a very much so unavailable man.

To make a long story short: it sucked.

At the moment, the two of them were out on the observation deck above the wheelhouse. They sat with their legs hanging out over the edge of the platform, both with a beer in one hand and a cigarette occupying Bobby's other hand. They'd finished baiting early today for a change and everyone had gone off to relax a while before dinner. They majority of them had gone into the cabin to watch one of the three movies they had on board, but Bobby had convinced her to come up to the observation deck with him to watch the sunset over the water.

It would have been romantic, she realized, if it weren't for the fact that she knew Bobby hadn't intended it to be so.

"This is my favorite place on the whole damn boat," Bobby told her with a grin on his face. He blew out a puff of smoke from between his lips, eyes trained on the horizon ahead of them. Deacon watched the grey wisp twist its way up over their head's and smiled, nodding as she turned her gaze back out in the same direction as Bobby's.

"It's beautiful up here..." She added, seeing him nod out of the corner of her eye.

It was a comfortable, companionable silence that settled around them. It was nice to just sit back and relax for a while like they were, watch the sky turn a deep, rustic orange, pink, yellow, and red. One didn't see sunsets like this in Manchester, or maybe you did and it was just that she'd never seen one with Bobby before. She didn't know, but she was sure the mirror effect the water was having on the colors wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before.

Deacon lifted the can of cheap beer they had stocked the boat up with to her lips, swallowing down a gulp as she studied the calm waves ahead of them. A tickling at the side of her neck warned her of Bobby's attention shift before she even looked over at the man, eyes meeting him and catching him staring at her. She gave him a half humored look, watching a smile stretch his lips as he turned his gaze away.

"What?"

"Nothing." He answered easily, lifting his cigarette to his lips again for one final drag. He still wore that smile on his lips, like he knew something she didn't and found it funny. It made her curious. She watched as Bobby finished off his cigarette, leaving nothing left but the filter at the bottom, tossing it over the edge of the platform and out to sea. He was squinting at the setting sun when he spoke again, "So, you put any thought into movin' back to Gloucester?"

Deacon snorted softly, "No."

"And why not?" He chuckled, sounding both amused and insulted by her honest answer.

"I got my reasons."

"Like what? Tom?"

Deacon made a face, shaking her head at him, "Oh, don't call him that. Don't call him 'Tom'." She took another drink from her can, speaking around the rim, "makes it sound like the two of you are pals or something."

Bobby chuckled.

"Seriously, you're supposed to be on my side here." She fiddled with the aluminum tab on the can, "Besides, it isn't Thomas. He's, like, at the bottom of my list of reasons I can't move back to Gloucester."

"Can't? Or won't?" Bobby asked her, face suddenly serious as he squinted out at the horizon. She dropped her gaze to watch him flex his fingers around his own can.

She sighed heavily, "... a little of both maybe."

Bobby nodded, but didn't look at all pleased with the answer. If anything, he looked disappointed. "What's at the top of the list?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because..." She trailed off, staring hard at the can in her hands like it knew something that could help her out of this situation. She couldn't rightly tell the man the truth, couldn't tell him the real reason she'd put an end to dreaming of going back to Gloucester a day or two after he'd suggested the idea to her.

"Because..." He repeated, looking at his hands now. He paused, and then tilted his head in her direction, but didn't lift his eyes to her's. "I want you to come back to Gloucester, Deac."

Deacon shook her head slowly, frowning at him questioningly, "Why?"

"I like having you around." He gave her a grin, but it wasn't quite as bright as she was used to seeing.

"The feeling's mutual, I assure you." She chuckled halfheartedly, "But-"

"But." He nodded slowly to himself, cutting her off. She didn't try to start up her sentence again, not sure anymore what she even had to say now that she was looking at the man - he looked rather defeated. She watched as he sighed, downing the last of the beer in his can and got back up on his feet.

Deacon was silent as the man removed his baseball cap and dropped it on her head, backwards. His hand rested over the cap for a moment, like he was hesitating for some reason, but in the end he just gave her head a little shake and she listened as he climbed down from the observation deck without another word. Deacon frowned, uncertain of what to make of what just happened between them.

It had felt a lot like Bobby had given up.

On what, she wasn't so sure.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She and the boy's all played a game of cards that night at the table after dinner. There was a lot of laughter and cussing thrown around between them while they played, and for once Sully wasn't a pain in the ass. He was actually very agreeable while the cards were on the table. They played poker and an assortment of other card games, but Deacon had loudly protested Bugsy and Murph's suggestion of strip poker. No way in hell they were gonna get her into that kind of position.

She won her fair share of hands, proving herself to the men. They'd been only slightly skeptical of her knowledge towards cards when the games had started, but they knew better now.

"There anything you _can't_ do?" Bugsy asked her much later on as they were all finally settling down into their individual places.

Deacon chuckled, kicking at Bobby as the man crawled over her into their bunk. She was fighting him off at the moment as he was trying to lay on her, the man finding her indignant squawks rather funny. She answered Bugsy around laughs and pushing Bobby off of her, "Sure. I can't fly, I can't sew, I can't sing-"

"She can't dance, she can't whistle..." Bobby continued for her, cutting her off and earning himself a smack across the stomach for his troubles.

"Alright, enough," Murph commanded, amusement thick in his heavy voice, "Get some sleep. We got work to do in a few hours."

Deacon chuckled, rolling onto her side next to Bobby as the rest of the crew obeyed Murph's 'orders'. The lights were flicked off and Deacon listened to the sound of Billy wandering around the wheelhouse over head for a long while before the man settled down for the night himself. She felt Bobby shift beside her around the same time Murph's snores started up.

"Hey..." She began, waiting for the answering hum beside her that told her Bobby was in fact awake and listening. "What's so special about Gloucester anyway?"

She heard Bobby scoff in the darkness, "You're asking me this now?"

"You're the one that wants me back there so bad. So yeah, I'm asking you this now." She chuckled at his expense.

"I'm there," Bobby chuckled in return, "What could be better then that?"

"Well if that's the only good thing about the place then I'm defiantly not comin' back." She teased. Bobby made a disagreeable sound in the back of his throat.

"No, come on..." He scowled lightly at her in the dark, "I don't know what to tell you, Deac. Gloucester is just Gloucester. We've got a dock and fish and the sea, good friends, food and liquor. Hardly anyone's got a car, but it doesn't matter since everything you need is within walking distance, and if it isn't then someone with a car will go out and get it for you. 'S just how it is there. We smoke, we cuss, and we have a good time living the best we can."

Deacon hummed softly as he finished, staring in the direction of his face in the dark. She smiled softly, "...sounds like a nice place."

"You'd like it there."

"I know I would." She agreed, sighing to herself. She could feel Bobby's breath on her face, warm and entirely Bobby with a trace of the meal they'd had earlier, but it wasn't bad like she'd have expected if it were anyone else. It was just Bobby. Things had gone silent between them and she broke the quiet once again with a vastly more serious question, "You gonna marry that girl of your's back there?"

"What?"

"Are you going to marry Christina?"

This seemed to take him aback, possibly even stunned him a bit because he didn't immediately answer her. He took a moment, pausing, like he hadn't understood everything she'd said and had to take the time to translate it for himself. The silence between them grew tense for the first time in a long time. "Yeah, at some point I guess I will."

"You_ guess_?"

"It'll be a while if I do is all I mean," He clarified, "I'd want to get her a ring. A nice one. Not something real cheap that everyone can see was cheap - she'd deserve a nice big diamond to wear around on her finger. But like I said, I'll be a while..."

Deacon nodded, understanding. Diamonds weren't cheap, not the kind Bobby was talking about. And she supposed that if Bobby had the money to go off and buy the kind of ring he wanted to for Christina then he wouldn't be working on this site for the scrap of pay he was probably getting.

She smiled at the man in the darkness, despite the unhappy furrow of her brow. "Well, you do know that I'll be expecting an invitation to that shindig when it comes around, right?"

"Of course," Bobby chuckled, "I'll make you my best man."

They shared a laugh at that, Deacon rolling her head to the side to press against the side of Bobby's affectionately. "So this mean you'll be my maid of honor when Thomas hauls me back to Manchester?"

"Not if you'd just hear me out and come to Gloucester." Bobby chuckled despite himself, arm looping around to slowly pass his fingers through the woman's hair. "I promise you there's no straight-laced lawyer around there waiting to destroy your life."

"Well, that's just about the best thing you've told me about Gloucester this whole trip!" She chuckled sleepily, allowing herself to enjoy the moment of bliss that came with Bobby's fingers playing with her hair.

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The next handful of days were spent the same as all the rest. They baited the waters, they hauled in maybe one or two fish, baited the waters, hauled in one or two fish, the cycle repeated day in and day out. Some days they didn't bring in a single fish - it was bad and everyone's moods were getting tense again. Billy was the worse, he didn't even come down to check up on everyone during the day and Deacon had to bring his dinners up to the wheelhouse for him or else the man wouldn't eat. He refused to leave his little 'home base' and was always glaring at charts when she entered. She ate with him one or twice, but soon got tired of sitting there in silence with someone too wrapped in their own thoughts to notice she was there most times.

It wasn't like uncle Billy and she knew it was because of the haul they were bringing in - or lack there of. So she didn't take offence to it. It just worried her was all.

Murph had decided to give Deacon a break in the kitchen again the afternoon Bugsy took to writing poetry. They were all sitting around the table with the television playing one of their three movies over head, Bobby at the back of the little booth beneath the t.v. reading an old newspaper. Bugsy had a box in his hand, scribbling out a poem in the blank corners of the wax covered cardboard.

"Billy Tyne is no fine wine," He began and everyone had the good grace to glance up at him as he spoke, if only for a second. "He's lost his touch with our long line. Steamed here and there and all about... what's our tally? We've struck out!"

The man snickered, looking around for approval and got nothing. Everyone stared back at him blankly, humor nowhere to be found in there tense jawed expressions.

"All right, okay." Bugsy returned to his scribbling, choosing instead, it seemed, to ignore the lack of response he was given. "Thank you very much. Thank you."

Deacon just shook her head as she ate the lunch Murph had prepared for them. She wasn't mad at Bugsy - the man hadn't been trying to insult her uncle, he was just trying to make light of a bad situation. Sadly, he had failed. She couldn't blame him for trying though.

Bobby got up from his place in the corner not longer after the poem had been shared with them. Deacon gave him a questioning look as he tossed his newspaper aside and headed for the cabin door.

"Just gonna go see how Skip's holdin' up..." Was his simple reply as he opened the door and headed out, giving her a less then 'Bobby bright' smile. But he had smiled and that was enough to let her know it wasn't about anything major, so she let him go without protest.

The rest of them finished their lunch without another word spoken among them. Deacon was alarmed when Sully stopped her from clearing the plates as the others took to their bunks or watched the movie, stealing a few moments to relax before they had to go back out and work for nothing again. Her brows shot up over her eyes, stunned when the blond actually took the plates from her and headed over to the sink.

"I'll do it." He muttered under his breath. Deacon made to protest, trying to take the plates back, but he wouldn't let her. He gave her a look, a 'just let it go' look that stopped her in her tracks, "I said I'd do it. Go try and make yourself useful somewhere else..."

She might have been offended, or at least her feathers would have been ruffled by the remark if it weren't for the fact that he was actually helping her. Upon his own free will at that too. Stunned, Deacon turned her gaze to Murph; he'd been watching the whole time from his bunk. The bear-like man offered her no explanation outside a shrug of his broad shoulders. She hadn't been expected that in a million years, but she gave a small, tentative smile when Sully glanced back at her - she could recognize a peace offering when she saw one.

It was nice to have some peace finally, if only for a little while. She knew, though, once they were back out on deck later that evening it would all count for nothing. They'd be at each other's throats again while baiting the waters... normally that was the time they got along best, but lately, with the kind of sets they were bringing it, nobody had a nice thing to say about anyone while they worked.

Deacon was right, too. Things got ugly once they were out working it again. It was raining on top of everything else, so that made it even worse then usual - it was dark and it got cold out there at night and now they were wet too. Nobody was happy, not even a little. And Bobby had been in an oddly foul mood upon returning earlier that afternoon from his visit to the wheelhouse to talk to Billy - Deacon had asked him about it, but when the man refused to say beyond ' it was nothing', she let it go. She figured, no matter how much she wanted to, it wasn't her business and she shouldn't pry.

Still. She knew whatever had happened was still eating at the dark-haired man and she didn't like it one bit.

"Put 'em closer!" Uncle Billy showed up out of nowhere, shouting at them from the wheelhouse deck. Deacon was in the middle of helping Alfred Pierre with buoys when her uncle started shouting, looking like the devil himself with the way he glared, "Murph, closer! Give 'em a goddamn banquet."

"Aye, aye, cap." Murph called back. They watched Billy stomp back into his wheelhouse, slamming the door angrily behind him. The bear-like man pulled another hook through some bait, addressing everyone on deck. "You heard 'im boys. Boss ain't happy."

"Ok then, double-time." Deacon added, earning herself a nod from Murph as he tossed out a line behind him. Bugsy was hooking lines to the wire to Murph's right, Bobby feeding him more line at his right.

They all doubled their efforts, pace sped up for the sake of making Billy Tyne happy. If they could. After all, a mad Billy Tyne was a time bomb waiting to go off at any second. Best to do what he said and hope for the best.

"Sullivan!" Murph shouted, drawing everyone's attention to the blond man across the deck who was supposed to be working with the lightsticks, but was slagging quite a bit. "I gotta hit you with a fish again to get you to work? Lightsticks, now!"

"Shut up, asshole!" Sully shot back furiously, pushing himself up on his feet and hefting the large red tub of lightsticks up. He slid on the wet deck, angry and biting at the 'bait' Murph tossed at him. "You couldn't bait fish in a barrel!–"

The blond slipped, falling over and flat on his back. The tub dumping over and sending yellow lightsticks everywhere. Deacon sighed, a hand pushing wet hair from her face as the rest of the men gave a groan of irritation and frustration. She watched the blond bastard slid around on the deck, trying to pick himself up.

"Jesus, Sully..." She practically growled, dropping a buoy where she'd just picked it up from angrily and stepped forward to help the man with the mess he'd made.

"Come on!"

"See what I got to deal with? That's a landlubber. What an idiot!"

Murph sent Bugsy and Bobby over as well to help pick up the mess. Bugsy kept mouthing off, grumbling, in a foul mood just like everyone else, but far more vocal about it. Murph lit up a cigarette in the rain as they came to the blond's aide.

"Hurry up, before the captain sees." Murph advised them.

"Okay, sure, I'll help him out. What a screw up!" Bugsy kept shouting as he made his way over, hooking on one last line before walking away from Murph's side. "You're useless, Sully!"

"Lay off, Bugs." Bobby told the boney man off, defending Sully in some small manner. Deacon was impressed by the show of character from the man, however frustrated she was with the blond herself. "You never screw up, huh?"

"You're nothing but a pimple on the ass of progress!" Bugsy kept on despite Bobby's attempt to defuse the upcoming fight.

"I'm sick of this," Sully was muttering angrily now, Deacon watching him sharply as she picked up lightsitcks beside him, "I've been on better slab than this. I've had it with this!"

"Oh, yeah, you don't like it?" Bugsy again kept going, throwing insult after insult at the blond to that point that even Deacon started telling the boney man off for it. He wasn't helping matters.

Nobody noticed when line ran out of slack and the hook Murph had been holding onto, waiting, jammed up into the pam of his hand. Nobody saw the big, bear-like man go over the edge of the ship, pulling from the boat like a rag doll into the sea...

"Take it easy." Bobby was still trying to prevent an issue between Bugsy and Sully, "It was an accident!"

Lightsticks were being thrown into the tub now, Bugsy and Sully flinging the little yellow sticks in with anger fueled force.

"Shut the hell up, Bugsy!" Deacon tossed out, glaring at the weasel-faced man through the rain. "Murph ain't even complaining anymore! It was a mistake, grow up and let it go!" She glanced up to Murph... and froze. She looked up again, fully this time. Murph was gone. "Murph?"

"You got the easiest job on the boat," Bugsy taunted, and you manage to screw it up!"

Deacon was pulling herself up now, dread chilling her. She called out louder this time, catching Bobby's attention now too, "Murph?"

"Kiss my ass, you little runt." Sully was shouting at Bugsy, next turning his anger to where Murph should have been standing. "And you- !"

"Murph!" Deacon and Sully both shouted the man's name, nearly simultaneously as the blond jumped up to his own feet beside the woman.

Anger with each other forgotten, Bobby and Sully wear both tearing off rain gear and running to the edge Murph had disappeared from with Bugsy shouting close behind them. Sully hit the water first, Bobby a close second in, both diving down in search of their lost crew mate. Deacon was scrambling in the direction of the wheelhouse, shouting for her uncle's attention as panic broke lose over the boat.

"Cap! Cap, man overboard!" She shouted, finding only small relief when Billy flung the door open and looked down to her. His stunned brown gaze next looked over his crew jumping into the choppy seas after Murph. The captain was down from the wheelhouse so fast, Deacon knew she'd be wondering how'd managed to get down without hurting himself later.

"Take the wheel!" Billy shouted at Bugsy and the boney man climbed up to the wheelhouse as fast as he could. Deacon joined Billy and Alfred Pierre at the back of the boat, the captain sending the beam of a flashlight into the sea in an attempt to spot his now three missing crew hands.

"Oh shit! Shit!" Deacon cursed at her uncle's side, hands gripping at her hair as the second passed with no sign of any of the three in the water. Her heart was racing, chest heaving much like it had the night the shark had pinned Bobby on deck - it was different this time though. She was worried about Bobby, yeah, but now she had not just him, but two more of the men she thought of as family with their lives on the line somewhere in the dark waters where she could no longer see them.

"Back her down slow." Billy shouted to Bugsy and Deacon could see an alarm in his eyes that matched her own feelings for the situation.

The ship, just as Billy had ordered, started back up, pulling the line that it had just been sending out back in. It was slow, torturously slow in Deacon's opinion as she watched the line come back in from the water, but not Bobby, Sully, or Murph.

"Oh god..." Deacon turned her back on the sea, a shaky hand clamping over her mouth as her mind buzzed with what was happening. "Oh my god..."

She remembered the other night when Murph was telling her about his son, his little boy waiting for him back home in Gloucester. The little boy that the big bear-like man loved more then anything in the whole world; that little boy was Murph's world. And it sounded to her like Murph was that boy's world too. She went white with dread, sickened by the idea of that little boy losing his father. He was too young to lose a parent; Deacon herself knew how hard it would be if he did.

She looked back to the water. It was taking too long. This was going to end badly and all Deacon could think about was the little blond boy in the photo Murph had showed her that night. There was a lump in her throat so big she doubted she'd ever breath properly again. She didn't even know if she was crying, it felt like it, but it was raining so hard she couldn't tell the difference between tears and weather.

"Come on, Murph." Deacon heard her uncle say. She could see a tension of a different kind in his strong jaw and knew his thoughts on the out come of this situation were about the same as her's.

This was going to end badly.

About that same time, as Deacon was turning away again, sick with grief and terror over what was happening, she saw bright orange break the surface of the water from the corner of her eye. She gasped, hitting her uncle's arm and pointing it out. The man sent his beam of light over them.

"We've got Murph!" He shouted, springing into action once more. He threw the flashlight down, not caring where it ended up at the moment and pulled the rope Deacon was hefting up from the deck floor out of her grasp and tossed the out to the three men being thrown about by the waves.

Deacon watched Bobby and Sully pulled the robe around Murph and she, Alfred Pierre and Billy started pulling the line back in. They strained, hefting Murph back up onto the deck, desperate to get the man out of harms way. Deacon slid over to Murph along with her uncle while Bugsy and Alfred Pierre helped Bobby and Sully back onto the boat.

"Come on, Murph." Billy said as he pulled open the man's rain gear, dropping his ear to his chest in search of a heart beat. He heard none. "Come on!" The captain ground out, start chest compressions in a desperate attempt to revive the deathly still man. Deacon felt her heart sink with ever grunt and ground out 'come on' her uncle said, watching him fight to bring the man back to them.

After what felt like forever, Murph finally came back. The man spit out sea form and water from his mouth, choking on the salty 'drink' as he tried to sit up. The crew and captain were screaming nonsense, grabbing at the big man in happiness to see their brother among the living once more.

"How was the water, Murph?" Bugsy asked between his own whoops of joy.

"Welcome back, Murph!" Billy shouted to the man as well, everyone thumping each other on the back and laughing like the fools they were. Murph had cheated death.

"Bobby!" Deacon turned to the dark-hair man, momentary alarm filling her. Murph was ok, the panic for him had passed, but now she realized Bobby had gone down after him and she hadn't payed any mind to whether or not he had even made it back himself once they had Murph on board again.

The man was leaning over her from behind, grinning that huge Bobby grin of his down at Murph. He looked to her when she whipped around, dripping more water on her from the sea to add with what was already soaking her from the rain. She reached out and grabbed the man by both sides of his face, forgetting herself and the company she shared as she tugged the man's face down to her own out of sheer, shocking relief to find the man alright as well.

It must have gotten to her head, all this panicking, she' reason some time later. It had to be that, because otherwise she never would have been so brash as to actually kiss the man like that. Yes, she kissed him. Her hands gripped at his soaked, heavy brown hair, pulling him close down to her. The man was still at first, stiff even, most likely stunned out of his mind. But it didn't last long 'cause Deacon soon felt the man's hands slip around to the back of her head and hold onto her as well, mouth slanting over her's. He not only accepted the kiss, but returned it, breaking from her for a breath as he'd still been breathless from his 'swim' before the kiss, only to meld their mouths together again immediately after.

The rest of the crew was totally forgotten. Normally, something like this would have sent Deacon into a frenzy - blushing, sputtering, cursing. But all she was aware of at the moment was Bobby pressing his forehead against her's, still cradling the back of her skull in one hand even after their mouths had parted from one another's.

A low whistle from Bugsy sent Deacon's eyes flying wide open in shock as she realized what she had done. The boney man was cackling, nudging Sully and pointing the two of them out. Deacon felt ice sink into her stomach as she pulled away from Bobby, eyes immediately going to her uncle. The man was already on his feet, dragging Murph in towards the cabin to deal with his hand - she thought perhaps she had been lucky for a moment, thinking perhaps he hadn't seen... until he glance back at her. She knew the look he was giving her and ducked her head down, trying to hide, wishing she could become invisible.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I tend to read over mistakes...


	8. Chapter 7

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! My week was very chaotic as well and it felt good to blow everything else off and just sit down and type... I'll have to do it more often. Lol. And yes, I felt it was high time Bobby's feelings started coming into play - much of the focus has been on Deacon, but it's a two person 'game' they're playing here so... yeah. And the kiss was a last minute add it; I was getting impatient with the characters so I spend things up just a tiny bit. Lol.

Glynnis007:

Littlemissbookworm: Good! I'll have another update out ASAP.

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'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Seven

Deacon knew she was in for some real trouble as she stood at the bottom of the ladder to the wheelhouse, fingers flexing nervously around the cold, damp metal. It had only just stopped raining an hour ago; Murph was freshly bandaged, and the taunting from Bugsy over the kiss between her and Bobby was still going strong. That's why she'd stepped out of the cabin to being with, to escape the jibs and jabs at her expense. Murph was out cold at the moment, sleeping off the ordeal he had been through and Sully was careful to keep silent while he smoked at the table; Alfred Pierre was minding his own business in his bunk - she had retreated to the bunk she shared with Bobby the moment they all walked in, grateful that Bobby had picked up on her distress and was keeping his distance for the moment. He was sitting at the table, across from Sully, back to her and the bunks, pretending to be interested in that same old newspaper he had been reading earlier at lunch.

Bugsy didn't know when to shut up though, despite bitting words from Bobby and even occasionally Sully too. She had to escape from it, heart in her throat; it had been there since Murph had gone over. She was afraid it would never go back down at this point.

So here she was, chewing on her bottom lip, preparing herself to face the one person she hadn't seen or heard from since the whole ordeal had started. Billy had returned to his wheelhouse in a flash once Murph was cleaned up and given his proper shots, a clear sign of the fury the man was feeling.

To be honest, Deacon was scared out of her mind as she climbed up to face her uncle, knocking timidly on the door before opening it and stepping in. Billy was in his chair, back turned to her, eyes on the horizon ahead of him. His expression showed he was doing anything but thinking about the sea or the corse he had set.

"Uncle Billy?" She spoke up softly, fidgeting near the door - ready to bolt should the man blow up in her face. "Got a second?"

The only response she got was a tiny jerk of the head and an almost inaudible sigh.

She paused, fear clear in her voice as she heaved a heavy sigh and bowed her head submissively. "Look, I... I own you an apology, Uncle Billy. I lied to you."

"Hm-m, you think?" Billy snapped over his shoulder, seeing her flinch out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm sorry." She continued, "But... but hear me out, ok? I lied, but not about what you think."

"No?" Billy finally turned to face his niece, dark eyes hard with anger. "What were you honest about then, Deac? 'Cause the way I saw it you were swapping spit with Bob out there a while back - looked to me like you'd lied about a whole helluva lot!"

"Uncle Billy-"

"How long's it been going on? That day I brought you up here, the day you told me it was nothing, how long from that day had you two been pulling a fast one on me?"

"Never, uncle Billy, please..." She tried, shaking her head, "Earlier was the first-"

"You screwin' him yet, Deac?" Billy interrupted again, fixing her with his hot glare.

"NO!" She shouted, breathing heavy in front of him. Again she said it, voice dropped to a low, almost whisper this time, "no." She shook her head at her uncle, "I swear, uncle Billy, today was it. I'd... we'd _never_ done anything like that before today."

"You swear?" Billy arched a brow at her, "You swore to me you and him were only friends. Your word don't go far with me anymore, Deacon."

"Damn it, uncle Billy..." She shook her head, ignoring the way his shoulders tensed when she cursed at him, "I didn't lie. We are just friends..."

"I don't believe you." The man spat, shaking his head in disbelief at his niece. He moved to turn his back on her and she jumped forward, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him to face her again.

"I'm not lying! We are! I just..." She shook her had at herself, feeling a lump in her throat, "Ok, I lied about it, but only partially. I liked Bobby, even then, I did. I liked him a lot. I mean, _a lot_, ok? He was good to me and we got along and I... I've never felt that happy with someone before, understand?"

Billy was chewing on his tongue, fuming, but listening to his niece. That was a good sign if nothing else was for the girl.

"Him and me, we can talk about fuckin' _nothing_ for hours and never run out of things to say. Never feel awkward about it. Has that ever happened to you before?" She asked him, a sad, wistful look on her face. "Do you know what that feels like? My god the man is so easy to love..."

"Too easy in your case." Billy snapped, anger rising again, pointing a menacing finger at her, "You shut your goddamn mouth, Deacon Gallagher. I don't wanna hear none of that shit from you, got it?"

"What?" She was frowning just as heavily at him now, "What's wrong with that?"

"You're bullshittin' me now. Tryin' to make this all sound ok when it isn't!"

"I am not!" She shouted back at him, "I'm trying to be honest with you, you ass!"

Billy hesitated, looking his niece over. She was flushed in the face, getting just as mad at him now as he was with her. She was a beautiful girl when she was mad like this, fighting over or for something she believed in. It made it hard not to back down when she was so adamant about something... too willing to argue and fight to be lying to him. Not this time.

"You love him?" The captain asked his niece, voice softer then before. He was watching her carefully now, cautious over the topic they were now discussing. He watched her let out a breath, stiff shoulders relaxing slightly as he himself calmed as well.

"Yeah." She nodded slowly, never breaking eye contact with her uncle. "I really think I do."

"You think?" Billy's brows shot up over his eyes, "Thinking and knowing are two very different things, Deac."

"Uncle Billy..." Deacon stared at him, gaze hard and unwavering. "I love him."

"You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure about something in my life."

A grin cracked Billy's hard expression, "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The man shook his head, turning his gaze away from the auburn haired woman standing in front of him. He scratched at the back of his head, his expression showing just how uncertain he was with the situation. He was hesitant to respond again, avoiding the girl's expectant eyes as he tried in vain to think this all through. He had no idea what to do with the issue anymore at this point.

"He's got a girl waiting back home for him, Deac." Billy finally said, seeing his niece wince.

"Christina." She nodded guiltily, "Yeah, I know."

"And?"

"And... I don't know." She shrugged, honest. She sighed heavily, looking over and out the window, "He loves her like mad. I know he does - I've heard it in his voice when he talks about her. But..."

"Look," Billy shook his head again, giving her a hard look. "You ain't no little girl anymore. You are an adult, even if I don't want to believe it..." He paused before continuing, "I don't like it, Deac. I've made that clear, I think. But you gotta decide on this on your own. I can't tell you what to do with it; I'd like to, but I know you won't listen to me either way."

Deacon gave her uncle a small smile.

It was the closest thing to a blessing she was going to get from the man.

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They were back to square one, her and Bobby. They slept back to back, avoided looking each other in the eye, and despite how strongly she felt for the man... Deacon couldn't bring herself to speak to him like she usually did on deck while they worked. No one much talked that next day. Too much had happened - Murph going over, Deacon and Bobby with this..._thing_ hanging over and between them. No one knew what to make of it. And the guys judged not even the captain knew how to handle it considering the way they had heard both him and Deacon screaming at each other in the wheelhouse the night before.

But skipper wasn't so furious anymore, so they could only assume he and his niece had reached some kind of understanding. None of them knew what it was, so it didn't make any difference. And poor Bobby... his head was probably the most screwed up among the boys. He had no idea what to make of the situation and he was the one actually in it.

All he knew was last night, when Deacon had grabbed a hold of him like that, kissed him... well, he hadn't been able to come up with any finer idea then to kiss her back. He'd thought about it a couple of times before then himself - at night when they talked for hours together when they should have been sleeping, when her face would be so close to his he could feel every breath she took. He thought about it all the time. He'd wanted to kiss her that evening they spent on the observation deck; he didn't know how he had managed to hold back then, turning to see her looking out over the water, sunset glowing in her face and brightening her eyes. She'd been so beautiful then. But the night with the shark, when she had broken down and cried over the fear she'd had for his safety, her concern outweighing the anger she'd felt for him earlier that day... he'd never seen her so beautiful as she had been in that moment. Crying over him.

He'd kissed her forehead that night, unable to _not_ doing something. He'd left in a hurry though afterward, embarrassed by his inability to hold himself back. Guilty when he remembered Christina waiting for him back home.

It was both a relief and a shock to find she had been struggling with it same as him. But now they were more distant then they'd ever been before and Bobby hated it. Like now, rather then snatching up a job so she'd been near him like she always did, Deacon was on the other side of the boat, careful to make sure whatever she did she did with her back to him.

It made the man scowl.

He had to put an end to this and fast.

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Deacon cursed under her breath when she felt that familiar hand on her shoulder as she and the rest of the crew were heading in for the night. She'd recognize the weight of Bobby's hand anywhere and right now she wished she was wrong and it was anyone but him. But, there was no mistake and she turned to face Bobby for the first time since late the night before in the rain. She held in a fiery blush, forcing herself to remain calm. After all, Bobby was no doubt having just about as hard a time with this as she was... it showed in the moments he thought no one was watching on deck.

"I know the last time I suggested we talk it didn't end so well," Bobby began, chuckling nervously as he brought up the 'falling out' they'd had seemingly eons ago, "but I figure I might as well bite the bullet here and try again."

She returned the timid chuckle.

The man nodded his head up to the observation deck above the wheelhouse, "Come up with me?"

Deacon nodded, taking the lead up the metal ladder and then bypassing the wheelhouse to head right up to the observation platform. She knew uncle Billy was aware of their climb up, could practically feel the man's gaze burning holes in her. When they reached the top, Deacon leaned on her elbows on the railing around the platform, back to Bobby and gaze fixed purposely on the sun setting before them once more. She felt more then saw Bobby come to her side and mirror her position against the rail.

They stood in silence like that a long while, neither looking to the other or trying to bridge a conversation between them. The silence spoke for them, the fact that they were standing here together again vocal enough for the both of them for now.

Bobby broke the silence first, but not with words. The man reached his hand around, taking one of Deacon's in his own and wove their fingers together. An intimate show of hand holding if there even was such a thing. And he lifted their bound limbs, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand, smiling against the skin of her knuckles when Deacon leaned her head over against the side of his. They both understood then, what had happened between those late night conversations and stolen glances during the day. They understood without words just how deeply that bond between them had run without their permission.

It was hard and it was funny and they were both smiling over the absurdity of it all while they stood there in the slowly setting sun's light.

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Mornings were Deacon's favorite again, just like before. The best ones being the ones when she woke up a few minutes before everyone else and got to watch Bobby sleep beside her a while - it was even better now though, simply because now she could act on the urges she felt when she looked over the man's handsome face. She could lean over and press a kiss to the man's lips; she woke him up that way now, feeling the man smile slowly against her mouth as he stirred, his arm often times tossing out to hook around her waist and keep her close. They would lay together like that, sharing the brief handful of minutes they had before Billy would come stomping down and wake everyone for another long day of fishing. Sometimes they'd talk, softly, in those moments, but mostly they just soaked in each other's company - heads and bodies pressed and held close to each other, mouths grazing mouths in slow, sleepy movements.

It was heaven for Deacon and she was pretty sure Bobby's feelings for the stolen minutes together were very much the same as her's.

Murph was back on deck with them now, the tension between him and Sully easing up a bit after what had happened with the hook and the rescue the other night. Sully seemed to have proven himself to everyone with that one selfless act of diving in after Murph, desperate as the rest to help their fallen comrade, because Sully had suddenly become part of the group. He and Deacon even got along now, for the most part. The blond would often times clean up the kitchen for her after they ate, appearently trying to make up for harsh words spat at her in the beginning - she accepted this apology from him, but she didn't just sit back and let him do all the work. She more times then not would end up right along side him, cleaning as well. It was good for them, she reasoned, working together and getting to know each other a bit better like she had with everyone else.

The fishing itself, though, wasn't getting any better. It got worse, if that could even happen at this point. Like Bugsy had said the day Murph limped back on deck the other day - Murph was the only 'fish' the Andrea Gail had hooked in three or more days. The crew was even starting to forget the last time they'd caught anything. It was all very upsetting and Billy's anger for Deacon had swiftly changed course and pounced on their lacking sets.

It wasn't the end of their misfortune though, as they learned one evening when the waves had decided to pick up into something rather foul. They slapped at the boat like they were intent on splitting the thing in two if they only had enough power in them to do so - but they weren't so bad. It looked like it was fixing to rain again on them and that by far was the worst thing the weather could do to them in the crew's opinion. Nobody liked working in the rain.

Murph and Bugsy were working the line that evening, trying in vain to pull some kind of catch up from the black-blue sea with Billy locked up in the wheelhouse again. Sully was lounging, bored, on a large supply bin and Alfred Pierre was reading that old newspaper they had on board. Bobby was cleaning old, used up shreds of bait from the otherwise empty hooks the boys were pulling in with Deacon leaning against the edge of the boat beside him. The two of them had been talking, conversation light and happy, Bobby dipping his head down and to the side to steal a quick kiss from the girl - the rest of the crew didn't mind it, and if they did then they didn't say much about it. The majority, if not everyone, had seemed to come to accept it... Murph gave a scowl now and then if he saw anything but friendly affection pass between them, shaking his head at them, but she knew he had a valid reason for it. He knew Christina, and even though he liked Deacon he was not in to the idea of Christina getting hurt over this. Either of the two girls getting hurt over it fro that matter, and he was convinced that in the end, one or both of them were going to end up broken hearted.

Deacon agreed with him. She knew it was going to end badly for someone and it would be her. She wasn't going to let Christina be the one left alone and hurt by her brash actions - when all was said and done, Bobby was going home to Christina. Deacon would make sure of it.

"What're you thinkin' about?" Bobby asked her as he tossed shredded bits of useless bait out into the water. He looked happy, despite their situation with the fish and weather.

"Nothing much," She shrugged, face turned out to the choppy horizon.

"Liar." He nudged her, "I can practically see wheels turn in that head of your's."

She smirked, rolling her eyes at him.

"Come on, sweetheart," He nudged her again, voice light and soft beside her, "sharing is caring."

Deacon shook her head at him, unable to hold in her own smile when the man was grinning like he was. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

"And you'll tell me not to a million times more by the time this over." He chuckled, arching a teasing brow at her. "But I don't think you can stop me now anymore then you could before."

"How you figure that?"

"I'd think it was obvious by now, Deac." He gave her a look. It was a soft look, a caring look, something Deacon almost wanted to see as a loving look, but she wouldn't let herself be caught up in something so wonderful only to have it smashed in her face later. She looked away from the man, but she could still hear him talking directly to her. "I've never heard of a gal stopping a man from calling her his sweetheart when she is."

Deacon smiled despite herself; that had felt nice. Hearing him but definition and a solid meaning behind that annoying little nickname of his for her had had an amazing effect on her. It felt good to be loved by someone you cared for. Even so...

"Bobby," Deacon sighed, brow furrowing as she forced her words out. She didn't want to be asking this anymore, not after how nice it had been to think of herself as his, but she did it anyway. Hurting herself for the sake of a woman back in Gloucester she didn't even know. "Where is this going?"

"Huh?" He tilted his head questioningly. He had figured he'd 'scored' some major points there a second ago considering the look that had flashed across her dark eyes, but it was gone now and replaced with something much sadder.

"This... between us. You and me." She gestured vaguely to the space between them, keeping her voice low enough to keep the conversation from any other ears on board save for her's and Bobby's. "How far did you plan on this going? Come November we'll be heading in for Gloucester... what did you figure would end up happening between us when the ship was tied down to the dock and the job was done and we all had to pick up where we left off?"

Bobby didn't answer immediately. He'd gone still there beside her, unseeing gaze fixed on the waves ahead of him and Deacon could see things clicking in his mind behind his eyes. His own wheels were turning now, almost looked like they were struggling with answers he couldn't quite manage to voice. She felt bad as she watched his expression shift over and over again, wishing now she could have taken the question back even though she knew it had to be asked eventually.

Perhaps, she reasoned, she should have held it off a little while longer though. Bobby seemed so taken aback by it that perhaps her timing had been bad - the man didn't seem at all ready or even capable of answering her just yet.

"Bobby..." She reached a hand out, touching him lightly on the arm. She'd end the struggle for him, have mercy on the poor guy. "Never mind, alight? You don't have to answer me now, it can wait a while... Or, just forget I asked at all."

He wasn't listening to her though, gaze glued to the waves. This made her frown softly - her question couldn't have shell shocked him _this_ badly, could it?

"Bobby?" She tried to get his attention again, watching in confusion when the man's eyes widened in alarm

"Holy shit!" The man exclaimed, startling Deacon as he grabbed on to her forearm with a grip so tight she was sure she would have a bruise. The man turned to warn the rest of the crew, "Rogue wave!"

Deacon had enough time to glance out to the sea before a split second later a huge, angry wave came crashing against the boat. It towered over the boat, sending the crew sprawling across the deck with nothing but Bobby's off guard warning a second before that hadn't been enough to really warn anyone at all. The men cried out, some feeling the sting of banging into cargo and various equipment, and everyone experiencing the burn of having salt water rip the breath from them as the wave hit and washed over them. Deacon, despite Bobby's attempt to help with that hold on her arm, ended up catching herself on the sharp edge of some unidentified metal instrument while she was thrown back by the wave - it sliced into the upper half of her arm, cutting through her long sleeved shirt and adding to the pain she felt when her head hit the inner side of the boat itself.

Everyone was panting, wiping water from their faces while they tried to pull themselves up. The wave had disappeared as fast as it had appeared, leaving the mall dazed and coughing on the water they'd swallowed.

"Everybody there?" Murph called out, the man's eyes taking in a quick count of the crew to be sure no one had been tossed overboard. Everyone was there, a little worse for were, but there.

Sully's lip had been split, blood spilling out onto the deck with a groan. Only he and Deacon ended up wounded enough to bleed, neither were major injuries, but they by far had gotten the 'short sticks', so to speak. The rest were scratched or sporting throbbing bumps here and there that would undoubtedly be bruised before dinner.

"Deac?" Bobby was pulling her upright into a sitting position, worry etched deeply into his soaked and dripping face. His hands were already tugging at her arm, looking over the slice up close to her shoulder, fingers traveling as he looked for more injuries. "Deac, you ok?"

"I'm fine." She groaned, her own hands reaching up to grasp her throbbing head. "Damn it... where the hell did that come from?" She chuckled, wincing as even that small sound was too much for her poor head.

"I don't know." Bobby's face softened with relief to find she was alright for the most part. "You get cut or anything anywhere else but your arm?" He was still worried, she saw, and it made her smile to find him so concerned for her.

"No. I don't think so." She shook her head slowly, "Hit my head though. Hurts like a son of a bitch..."

Bobby chuckled, helping her onto her feet. He took her into the cabin, Sully following them in, intent to help her clean up the slice in her arm... and then help Sully if he wanted it. He doubted the blond would though. And Deacon's question was forgotten, for now at least - the wave had knocked it aside and out of the foreground of Bobby's mind, but not Deacon's. She tucked it away to be brought up again later, hoping that by then Bobby would be better prepared for it when it came out again.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	9. Chapter 8

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

**Warning(s)**: Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: ha ha! Yes I did update fast; I had planned to hold that second update off for a while, but decided to jsut hand it over to you guys. Think of it as a present since I highly doubt it'll happen ever again. Enjoy!

Glynnis007:

Littlemissbookworm:

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'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Eight

Deacon had decided to come up to the wheelhouse and have dinner with her uncle later that same day the rogue wave had hit. The man had seemed glad for the company, which made Deacon wonder why he didn't just come down and eat with the rest of them if he wanted someone around so bad. She guessed it was a Billy Tyne thing, something she wouldn't understand if the man sat her down and tried to explain it out to her for an hour. A few minutes into the meal, Billy nodded at her bandaged arm with a smirk and an amused glint in his eyes - that glint had been missing from those eyes for the better part of a week now, so Deacon was glad to see it back all of a sudden.

"Got your first battle wound, I see."

"Yeah," She chuckled, "That and a killer head ache to go with it. Banged my head pretty hard when that damn wave knocked us all over."

"Bobby clean you up?" The man asked around a mouthful of chicken, eyes fixed intently on his niece's face.

"Yeah, why?" She asked him suspiciously, narrowing her own gaze on the man's face. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was suddenly headed.

Billy just shook his head, shrugging with his face more so then with his shoulders. "No reason. Just making sure he's the kind of man to take care of what he's got."

"Uncle Billy..."

"Hey, it's a legitimate concern for an uncle to have for his niece." The man defended himself, "Men like us on board here, fishing men... they aren't best known for compassion and caring natures. Mostly we're known for drinking, smoking, cussing, and leaving families behind for months to worry. I know men like me, Deac. I'm one of them."

Deacon frowned as she listened to the man.

"I'm just making sure I'm not going along with something we'll both end up regretting." Billy told her, eyes on his plate, "I'm not goin' to let you carry on with a guy who doesn't take care of you. Not when I can stop it."

Deacon's frown turned around, lips lifting into a small smile. This protective side, concerned side of her uncle always let out how much he loved her. It was obvious when he was talking like this, eyes anywhere but on her. She nodded, accepting the man's words and letting him have his moment.

"Bobby took care of me. He's a good man, uncle Billy." She assured her uncle, "He even tried to convince me to lay down and rest while the rest of the crew finished up on deck. I refused, of course, but he watched me like a damn hawk the whole rest of the time on deck like I was going to fall over or something at any moment..." She chuckled, shaking her head at the memory of it. "You don't have to worry so much. He's good to me."

"Good." Billy told her sternly, "I'd have to hook him up and use him for bait if he wasn't."

Deacon grinned, shaking her head at her uncle and they continued their dinner peacefully. Deacon was about to pick up plates and head back down to the cabin for the evening when Billy started up another rather serious subject. She sat back down to listen to him, noticing the tense, uncertain face of the captain she had learned to obey without question over the last month.

"Things aren't going so well here, are they?" Billy had fixed her with a hard stare. The gaze demanded the truth of her and she was caught off guard by it.

The niece considered for a moment before answering her uncle. "Well, it's... it's just that we aren't catching anything anymore. I think everyone's getting nervous about it. I know the guys are concerned they wont be making much on the sets we have is all." She shrugged, feeling awkward telling her uncle this. "So, yeah... I guess things are pretty bad here."

Billy nodded. Her words seemed to have confirmed something he didn't want to accept.

"But cold streaks aren't uncommon," She tried to amend her words, build the man's confidence again. "We're just in a rut is all. It happens. Nothings biting right now, but in a few days I bet things will pick up again."

"We don't have a few days to spare." Billy said and Deacon wasn't sure if it was said more so to her or himself. "We wait around here waiting for something to start biting and we'll run out of time and have to head back with shit."

Deacon's brow furrowed, dropping her gaze to the table they were sitting at together. She didn't know how to help the situation - after all, only a month ago she hadn't even been a proper swordfisher. It had taken time and practice to get to the point she was at and she was willing to bet anything that learning to solve the problem of no fish biting was something only her uncle would ever have enough experience to figure out.

"What will we do then?" She asked carefully, watching Billy's gaze harden tenfold while he thought. "Murph's got his son back home he's got to help support. At the rate we're going he wont make enough to even support himself let alone a little boy."

Billy took this into consideration it seemed, looking at her only while she spoke and then looking away when she was finished. Deacon was pretty sure she was the only one on board that could say something negative towards the sets they were bringing in and not get her head bit off by the captain. In fact, she suddenly realized Bobby must have come up to talk to the captain about the sets himself that night a long while back when she had heard them shouting it out from inside the cabin.

"All we can do is leave this site for another." Billy finally told her, "Head further out to the Flemish Cap. There are fish there. But going out further means being out here longer. Boys are already itching to head home, half of them didn't want to be out here in the first place."

Deacon listened to him while he muttered to himself, realizing the man was talking to himself more so then to her. She could see the struggle in his face - he was getting scared of their situation and it hurt her to see it. Standing up from the table once Billy had turned his thoughts inward rather then speaking them aloud, Deacon stepped around the table and bent to hug the man around the shoulders, hoping to comfort as best she could.

"Do what's right by you. You're the captain after all, take charge and take us out if it means hauling in a better set then what we have so far." She gave the man a grin as she let go, "I'm behind you whatever you do, skip."

The man gave a tired looking smile, amused by the titles she was using now. He nodded as she picked up after them and left the wheelhouse for the cabin, retiring to bed now like he should be doing himself.

Deacon was behind his decision to head out to the Flemish Cap and that made the decision all the more easier to make.

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Deacon had been right about the men becoming more and more uneasy about this trip. They had spent the better half of the evening talking about how someone should say something to Billy, tell the man how it is and demand to go home. They were all pretty set on the going home part, a part Deacon didn't like to think about and so had retired to her and Bobby's bunk while the rest planned and talked. She didn't want to head home any time soon. Going home meant her and Bobby having to go their separate ways, most likely to never see each other again - the thought hurt her and she prayed Billy would head out to the Flemish Cap and prolong their trip even if just for a little while longer.

By morning, the boys had decided. And at lunch Bugsy was sent up to the wheelhouse to inform Billy that his crew wanted to have a word with him. Deacon busied herself with cleaning up the lunch mess, washing the silverware they had used as slowly as she possibly could so as to stay out of the upcoming argument as long as she could. And there would be an argument, she knew there would be one the moment Billy stepped into the cabin with that hard jaw and angry look in his dark eyes.

The talk in the cabin amongst the men died when the captain walked in, all of them watching him pace around and look about the cabin. Deacon could feel Billy's eyes on her back for a long while and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt him look away to the men around the table.

"So what's the word?" Billy's voice was calm, but Deacon knew better then to believe it. Nobody spoke up right away and Deacon winced when someone finally did, recognizing the sound of Bobby's voice speaking up for the rest of them.

"Skip, we're startin' to get an unlucky feeling out here." Bobby began, "I mean, Murph goin' over, the shark, a rogue wave..."

"Yeah, what else?" Billy's voice was tightening and Deacon felt him look at her. She understood the meaning behind those few words more so then the others, she was sure, and she felt herself flush because of them.

"Never mind unlucky, alright?" She heard Alfred Pierre speak up. The man was sporting a black eye from the rogue wave incident. "We're just looking for some fish. I mean, we had slumps before, you and I, but... not like this."

"You boys look like you got busted in a brawl in Scollay Square." Uncle Billy again. Deacon was putting the clean silverware away now, almost finished and realizing she'd soon have to turn and become part of this meeting herself.

"That's how we feel. We want to go home." Bobby said and Deacon felt her heart drop into her stomach. He wanted to go home too. She could feel her uncle bowing up off to her right and finally turned to face the argument he and Bobby were about to get in.

"Bobby, you want to go home?" She watched her uncle approach the younger man as he spoke, "You lonely for that young mama who was all over you at the dock?"

"Skip, my girl is none of your business." Bobby bit back, handsome face twisting angrily as well.

Wow. That had stung. Deacon dropped her gaze from the two men at that, feeling very much so like she was intruding somewhere she shouldn't be. She knew better then to think Bobby was her's and her's alone - she was the other woman after all. But still, it hurt to here him call Christina his girl, wishing it could be her he was talking about instead. She was careful to hide the sting of it, though, crossing her arms over he chest and leaning against the counter with her head dropped like the rest of the crew while Bobby and Billy shared words.

"But _you _are." Billy snapped, voice raising as he spoke, "And if you don't like it, you can get the hell off!" His gaze shifted to the rest of the men in turn, "All of you." He continued after a shifting of his weight from one foot to the other, "I'm lookin' around and all I see is a bunch of little boys sitting on their asses, too scared to go out and get some pay dirt."

"Pay dirt?" Murph finally jumped in, "What the hell are you talking about, cap? Where the hell is that?"

"We've covered every inch of the Grand Banks," Sully added.

"The Grand Banks are west of us. I'm headed east." Billy snapped again, "The Flemish Cap."

The men shifted around in their places unhappily, Sully tossing an empty carton of cigarettes in the air and on the table with an exasperated and disheartened look on his face. Nobody was happy with this news.

"The Flemish Cap?" Murph repeated unbelievingly, "Oh, you know what, why don't we steam to Portugal while we're at it?" The big man shook his head, dragging violently on his cigarette, sarcastic and visibly angry.

Billy looked around at his crew. He looked disgusted and, to Deacon's acute horror, almost teary eyed. "So this is the moment of truth." He said the words like they left a foul taste in his mouth, "This is were they separate the men from the boys and here we are with Deacon being the only one man enough to take the chance..."

Deacon turned her face away when her uncle nodded back at her. She would have taken the comment as a compliment, beamed at the praise at any other time, but not now. She could feel everyone else looking at her and she felt sick.

"How 'bout it?" Billy asked the rest of the crew, "Are you Gloucester men?"

"Yeah, we're Gloucester men," Sully said, "but why go all the way to the Flemish Cap to prove it?"

"Tell him, Alfred Pierre." Billy addressed the quiet, dark skinned man. Alfred Pierre got out only a single, hesitant word before Billy cut him off, interrupting and answering it himself, "That's were the fish are."

The men looked torn, Murph rubbing his face with the palm of his heavy hand.

"Do we have any choice?" Bobby asked. He still wanted to head in and that practically twisted the knife in Deacon's chest.

"Yeah." Billy all around whispered back, "Crawl home, busted."

It went silent then, everyone thinking it through for themselves. Sully was lighting another cigarette, shrugging and sighing in defeat at the captain's words and the rest of the crew looked pretty much the same. Deacon had her eyes on the floor, avoiding any gaze that might look her way as she listened for the final decision.

"Alright, skip. Alright." They were all muttering, agreeing to head further out east, but doing so reluctantly. It was obvious none of them were happy with it even as they nodded.

"Alright." Billy's expression eased up and he threw a final glance at Deacon before he left the cabin and his crew behind for his wheelhouse once more. Deacon stayed where she was a moment longer, silent and perfectly still, before pushing off the counter and heading out the door herself. Her chest was tight and despite getting what she wanted, more time out at sea, she felt miserable.

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It was a good handful of hours later before Bobby got uneasy. Deacon had left the cabin just after the meeting with the captain and he had figured she'd followed him up to the wheelhouse while the older man set out for those Flemish Caps he was hell bent on getting to. But it was later now and she'd not even come in for dinner tonight, leaving Murph to cook it for them and she still wasn't back now that the meal was over.

The youngest male stepped out of the cabin, figuring he'd go up to the wheelhouse and convince her to come down and eat something. But when he got there he realized Deacon wasn't in the wheelhouse at all. His brow furrowed, looking to Billy questioningly, "Hey... where's Deac?"

The older man sighed, glancing back at Bobby. The man didn't look too happy. "Not in here." He jutted his chin out, gesturing through the window to the bow of the boat, "She's out there. Been there all day."

Bobby followed Billy's gaze, seeing for himself that Deacon was in fact sitting out near the very front of the boat. Alone. He frowned again and nodded his thanks to the captain before heading down to join the girl - it was very strange of her to have come out here, alone, and stayed there all day. He'd never known Deacon to like being alone unless something was wrong... he found it even stranger that she'd not said anything to him about something bothering her.

As he approached the girl he couldn't help but notice that she was smoking. He smirked, settling down beside her with a soft chuckle, "Thought you didn't smoke."

She didn't look at him. "I don't."

"What do you call that then?"

She shook her head, staring at the burning end of the white stick. She shrugged, "Well, it was this or jumping off the bow."

Bobby's frown returned, "Huh?"

"Nothing, Bobby." She sighed heavily, dragging on the cigarette again, "I just figured I'd give it another try. And realized it helped me think so I kept doing it."

Bobby nodded, accepting the answer, but his frown remained in place. He looked over her profile slowly, "What're thinking about that it took all day out here to do it?"

Deacon shook her head again, very much aware that her uncle was watching the two of them from his place in the wheelhouse. She'd yet to look at Bobby since he'd sat beside her and she refrained from doing so now as she spoke, "You wanted to go home."

"Well, yeah..." Bobby nodded, not seeing a problem with it. "I'm tired of working my ass off everyday and havin' nothing to show for it. We haven't caught anything in forever... you telling me you like busting your ass out here, puttin' up with shit like sharks and rogue waves for the no account set we got in the coolers?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Deacon finally looked at him, brow set in a deep crease and head shaking slowly in disbelief at him. It hurt to look at him and so she looked away again, breathing a little harder then normal. She ground out to him, like it was painful to say, "It has nothing to do with the fish."

Bobby sighed, reaching out to touch her shoulder, "Look... Deac, I told you, you don't have to worry about Thomas or anyone else when we-"

"This isn't about him either!" She spat out furiously, throwing his hand off of her, "It's not about fish or the work or Thomas or my father or anything! This is about you!" She stopped, breathing hard and tossing her cigarette away as she lifted a hand to rub against her face. Her words were muffled by the hand on her face, but the sadness in them was clear as day, "God damn it, Bobby..."

The man was silent, watching her in complete and utter confusion. She was right, he didn't get it. He'd figured her distress about their almost heading in for home was over Thomas and being forced to go back to Manchester, but now that she had thrown that theory out the window he didn't know what to make of her mood anymore. She'd said it was about him, Bobby, but he didn't understand what he had done or hadn't done to cause such emotional suffering in her.

"You remember yesterday," She stared again, voice and expression barely under control, "before the wave hit? You remember what I asked you?"

Bobby shook his head, drawing another distressed sound from the woman.

"God..." She pushed hair from her face, expression miserable once again. She took a breath, "I asked you where the two of us were headed. What'll happen when we get to Gloucester and Christina comes running up the dock to welcome you home?"

She watched as Bobby's expression shifted. He remembered now.

"You really gonna tell me you'll turn her away and me and you will keep at it like we have been on here? That we're gonna start a life together, just the two of us?" She asked softly, watching him carefully.

He set his jaw, reaching for her hand this time as he nodded, "Yes."

"Bullshit!" She blew up, pulling away from his touch with a furious glare fixed on him. "No you are not! You're not gonna do that to her, you son of a bitch! She loves you!"

"You saying you don't feel shit for me yourself?" He spat back.

"What I feel doesn't matter!"

"Like hell it doesn't!"

"It doesn't, Bobby!" She jumped to her feet, watching him do the same in front of her. "Christina loves you! You loved her when you left Gloucester, you loved her the night you told me about her, and you love her now! Don't you dare try and tell me you don't!"

"Yeah," Bobby nodded, agreeing with her. "I do. But I love you too."

"Fuckin' liar!" She lashed out at him, aiming to punch him square in the jaw, but he caught her wrist in his hand and stopped it. "Don't you say that!"

"I do!"

"No you don't! Shut up!"

They fought, physically, Deacon hitting the man where ever she could land a blow and being none too easy about it either. He let her, doing nothing more then try and contain her hands, stop their wild thrashing and hold them down to stop the struggle she was putting up with him. It lasted no more and thirty seconds or so, but seemed so much longer from their point of view. Neither willing to give in. In the end, though, Deacon stopped putting up a fight with the man and let him pull her into his chest, her arms pinned between his chest and her's with Bobby's arms wrapped so tight around her it was hard to breath. She cried in front of him for the second time, face pressed into his neck and against his shoulder as he held her - he let her cry, not saying a word about it, allowing her to get it out of her system and calm her down.

"It's not fair." She finally spoke again, tears drying up but far from gone, "It's not fair. It's not."

"Hey," Bobby shushed her, hands coming up to grasp both sides of her face in his hands and lift her head to look her in the eyes. "This is crazy, Deacon. Just 'cause we'll head home at one point or another doesn't mean I'm gonna push you aside and forget about you. Sweetheart, I couldn't if I tried."

"But," She shook her head, "you'd have to."

"Says who?"

"Says me!" She exclaimed, latching onto his hands with her own, "What would you tell her? Tell her you went away for awhile and decided you'd rather be with me then her? She doesn't deserve that! No woman ever deserves that!"

"Deacon-"

"I won't let you hurt her like that! That's cruel and you aren't like that, Bobby. You can't be like that!" She persisted, "When we pull in to Gloucester you have to go to her and show her you love her like she deserves. You have to forget about me because you and me... all this shit between us isn't right! You being here with me now is wrong!"

"Deacon, stop it." Bobby's voice hardened.

She shook her head, pushing his hands away and turning her back on him. "When we get back to Gloucester in November or whenever the hell we get there, you have to go and ask that girl to marry you right then and there, ring or not, and forget you ever knew a thing about me."

"Why the hell would you tell me to do that?" Bobby snapped angrily from behind her, "You say you love me, but you want me to be with someone else?" It sounded crazy to him and he couldn't understand it.

"Damn it, Bobby! No I don't!" She shouted over her shoulder at him, holding down more tears. "But it's what's right! And it fuckin' hurts because I want you for myself and I know I can't have you..."

And maybe Bobby understood then, maybe just a little. He understood enough to realize the struggle she was fighting inside to tell him these things, understood how much it hurt her to push him away like this if nothing else. He could see it in the shaking line of her back and had felt it when she cried on his shoulder.

"I love you." He told her, wrapping his arms around her again from behind, speaking softly against her ear. She tried to throw him off, but he stopped the fight before it broke out. "Hey... I love you, ok?"

"Stop it, Bobby." He could hear the misery in her voice and he hated it, "It isn't funny."

"I'm not fuckin' laughing, Deac." He told her calmly, scowling to hear she thought he was messing with her about this. "I do."

"And Christina?"

"Stop thinkin' about her." He told her, commanding her to cast the woman from her mind, softly. He kissed the top of her head. "You let me figure out Christina."

"I wont let you hurt her." Deacon told him stubbornly and he knew she was serious.

"By hurting yourself?"

"I don't care about that."

"What if it hurt me too?"

She hesitated at that and he felt her heave a heavy sigh, "You'd get over it."

"I doubt that."

"Liar. You'd remember how much you love her and forget about me in a week."

"No I wouldn't; that isn't funny, Deacon."

"I wasn't trying to be."

Bobby shook his head, dropping a kiss to her shoulder and feeling a small tug of happiness in the pit of his stomach when she tilted her head to rest it against the side of his.

Billy had watched all of this from his place in his wheelhouse. He shook his head at the two out on the bow of his boat, sighing heavily and unsure of what to make of them. They went from companionable to furiously fighting and then to looking so in love that even Billy had to smile because of it. It was a strange thing those two had going on, something hard and complicated that Billy knew he himself wouldn't have been able to deal with like they did - he would have given up a long while ago and he had to give Bobby credit for not walking away the second Deacon had started trying to knock his lights out.

Billy chuckled. That had been rather amusing to watch - Deacon had always been a fighter, but he hadn't expected her to lash out like that at someone she claimed to love. But then again, he reasoned, maybe it was easier for her to do just that because she did love the man.

Billy shook his head again, lifting his eyes from the pair. They seemed to have made up in some manner now and it didn't sit well with him to watch the two anymore - he didn't wanna have to watch what would come next.

"_Whiskey-Yankee-Charlie, 6-6-8-1, do you read me_?"

Billy had to grin again as a voice he knew all to well called out to him from the radio over his head. He took the mouth piece down and responded with a chuckle, "This is Andrea Gail, Whiskey-Yankee-Charlie, 6-6-8-1. Hey, Linda."

"_Ahoy, captain Tyne, what's happening_?" She said back to him and Billy grinned again at her cheekiness.

"Too much to say." He sighed, glancing to see Bobby leading Deacon off back to the cabin by the hand. "Where are you?"

"_Tail of the Banks. Kicking up something wicked here._" She sounded exasperated by that, but her mood lifted as she continued, "_Made a couple of sets though._"

"Doing any good?"

"_Yeah... Nine first set. Twelve - - No, make that a baker's dozen, second. Got a couple of markers to boot._"

"Man, that hand of your's is so hot, I can feel the heat from here." He tried not to sound too put out by her good fortune.

"_I've asked you to team up..._"

"I don't like partners." He immediately responded, but then thought better of it and added, "Business-wise, that is."

"_Okay-okay._" She laughed from her side of the line, "_What's your position_?"

"Uh... 46 north, 48 west."

"_You headed for the Flemish Cap_?" She sounded surprised and perhaps more then a little worried.

"The lady knows her coordinates." He smiled again, "Yeah, I'm steaming full-bore."

"_The Flemish Cap is nearly off the charts. What the hell are you trying to prove_?" Her concern was obvious now and Billy had to bite his tongue to keep from sighing. Even though, secretly, he'd be a liar even to himself if he tried to think he didn't like Linda worrying over him. He liked the thought of Linda thinking about him at all - he'd never admit it aloud though. "_Come on, you've seen the forecast. We got gale-force comin' out of Bermuda, stuff comin' out of Sable Islands. And as for me, I'm staring here at solid white chop._"

He made to interrupt her, but again, he thought better of it.

"_This could be a triple-header._"

"Linda, you're behind me. So is your weather." He told her matter of factly.

"_Yeah, but Billy, you've gotta go through it to get back._"

"Good point." He reasoned, smirking into he radio as he could hear her frowning in her voice.

"_Billy, you're not gonna like this, but I'm gonna say it anyway:_..." She paused and he waited patiently for her to continue, listening intently for whatever she had to say, "_You be careful_."

Billy smiled wide into the radio. If ever he was to marry again, it would be to this woman. "Yes, Mother." He knew she wouldn't like his response, but couldn't help smiling anyway, "Why don't we pick this up later? Over and out."

He put up the radio and continued onward as planned.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


	10. Chapter 9

Summary: follows the story and plight of the Andrea Gail and her unfortunate crew as they head off to sea for one more haul before the end of the season. A new crew mate joins them, the niece of Billy Tyne himself... things get complicated fast as a love found too late blooms and unavoidable tragedy tries to tear it apart. Bobby/OFC

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own this story or the people in it. This was based off a tragic event rewritten as a book and then later turned into a movie... I'm just taking those characters and the story and adding a little twist to it.

Warning(s): Um... nothing really major. There's a bit of cussing, but nothing that wasn't said in the actual movie. So, yeah, nothing really warning worthy.

Special Thanks to all readers and reviewers:

CSIVinDieselAddict:

LaLa-036: whoa-ho! Sorry the update took so long to get out – I got wrapped up in other things and stories and responsibilities for a while there, but hopefully I'll be able to get back into the old roll of things.

Glynnis007:

Littlemissbookworm:

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'The Perfect Storm'

Chapter Nine

Deacon did her best with obeying Bobby - she did her best to cast Christina from her own mind and let the man handle it, but it was hard to do and she often found herself shying away from a touch or a kiss because it was awkward to be that way with a man who had a girl waiting for him back home. She tried though, and Bobby was patient with her; he understood without needing an explanation when Deacon got shy... if anyone could believe the girl actually got shy over things.

"So, why Bobby?"

Deacon looked up from where she'd been leaning against the edge of the boat, looking over the sea, and to the blond man who had come up beside her. Sully was smoking a cigarette, a small smirk tugging at his lips and gaze fixed on the horizon she'd just been looking at. Deacon was momentarily stunned - this was the first time the man had willingly addressed her, civilly, since she came on board so long ago.

He glanced at her, brows arched expectantly.

"What about Bobby?" She shifted her weight on the metal edge, not entirely sure if she was comfortable around Sully or not. Especially alone like this - the rest of the guys were all in the cabin, taking a much needed break while Billy steered them out to the Flemish Cap. Bobby was in there too; he'd been napping when Deacon left to stand out on the deck.

"Why'd you pick him?" Sully asked again, looking amused. "You picked the only guy here that's already got himself a girl."

"What, you saying I should of picked you instead?" She gave him a look.

"No," The blond shook his head, "I'm just wonderin' how you went about picking him instead of someone else."

"Well..." She sighed heavily, amused by this conversation. Who'd have figured Sully would come up to her and ask her something like this of all things? "I didn't really pick him. It just sort of happened."

"How?"

"How? What do you mean 'how'?" She scowled at him, feeling her face heat up despite her best efforts, "I don't know how! It just... happened. Like how bodies just somehow know how and when to breathe; there's no way to know how some things happen. They just do."

Sully looked side long at her for a long while, studying her profile. He shrugged, giving a sigh and a small nod, like he understood on some level. Dragging heavily on his cigarette, the blond glanced at her again, "What about Christina?"

"Jesus, is that the only thing any of you think about?" she shook her head, pushing away from the railing and turning her back on the blond man. Her hands were on her hips, head bowed. Turning back around to face Sully, she rubbed her fingers against her forehead. "I don't know about that either. I don't know…"

"Better figure it out soon."

"I know!" She snapped, looking him over slowly after a short pause, "What do you think should be done?"

"Not really any of business…"

She scoffed, "Like you care?"

He smirked, alarmed even himself at how easy it was to talk to this woman. With how they had started out, he hadn't thought it would be nearly this simple. "Yeah, well… this is different."

"Why?"

Sully hesitated, dragging on his cigarette again with a cautious look to his eyes. He shrugged, saying nothing.

"Why's it different, Sullivan?" she demanded, coming to lean back against the railing again, arms crossed over her chest and eyes on the blond's face.

He sighed, "'Cause I don't see a happy ending however which way all this stuff between you and Bobby needs up."

"Happy ending?" Her brow twitched in amusement, lips hitched in a smirk.

"You're sweet on him, and he's pretty sweet on you too, right?" He used his hands as he spoke, "But Bobby's not over Christina completely yet, is he? You two end up together forever and all that cutesy shit and you guys will be happy, but it'll break Christina's heart. That'll hurt Bobby and so, no happy ending."

Deacon listened as Sully spoke, a small frown in her brow.

"The other possibility here is that you and he don't end up together. He goes home to Christina and does things right by her like he promised, leaving you behind…" He tossed his cigarette over into the water, "but that'll break your heart, right? Christina's happy, but Bobby's gonna be miserable over hurting you. No happy ending." He shrugged, palms out and fingers spread, "Now, I don't see any other option here for any of you."

"That's 'cause there aren't any more options for us but those, Sully." She sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. A soft chuckle bubbled out of her, lips tweaking in false amusement, "No sense in looking for a happy ending in this, though. There's no such thing."

He arched a brow at her.

"There's no such thing as a happy ending." She clarified with a wave of her hand, "Not the kind you're talking about anyway. Those belong in children's books; they don't exist in reality."

Sully nodded, chest heaving with a sigh, "True. Still," he shrugged, "it'll be a shame."

"What will?"

"Watchin' everything fall apart."

Deacon watched as Sully left her behind on the deck. The blond man headed down into the cabin from whence he came and she watched in silence until he disappeared through the door and down the stairs. She felt a scowl slink across her face; she'd be damned if she just let things fall apart. Sure, she was in one damn good pickle with this relationship she had going on with Bobby, and she still couldn't even consider the man tossing Christina to the curb without getting flustered and feeling guilty, but she loved him… Deacon couldn't give up Bobby anymore then she could think of him giving up Christina. He was a weakness that both frustrated the hell out of 

her and one she was glad to harbor; like an addictive drug, she didn't think she could give him up even if she wanted to, and she certainly wouldn't just give him up at this point… not even for the whole world.

Lost in her mind, she jumped when a shadow fell over her and the heat of another person's body mixed with her's. She breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Bobby chuckle as he looked down at her.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her, hand coming up to tuck a loose strand of her hair back behind one of her ears.

"Nothing," she gave him a smile, "Just thinkin'."

"Yeah? What about?"

She shrugged a shoulder, sighing softly as she did. "Lots of different things. You."

"Me?" His voice sounded surprised and a boyish grin tugged at his lips. He leaned forward against her, each hand braced on the railing on either side of Deacon – trapping her between his arms and chest. "What about me?"

She shook her head at him, "Just thinkin'."

"Alight, fine, don't share with me."

"I won't." She chuckled as he made a face at her, "Have a good nap?"

"Actually, yes. Had a nice dream."

"The one where you're flyin' again?"

"No. Better."

"Oh really? What was it about then?"

"You." He told her softly. He watched as the smirk eased off her lips and her eyes took on a sober glow to them; he gave her a smile as soft as his words, tipping his head in to press a kiss to her temple. "Dreamt about how much I love you. Dreamt about you and me, out at the dock back in Gloucester, stockin' up our own ship… getting' ready for a weekend out at sea. Just you and me."

He said it all against her hair, lips pressed to her temple, and Deacon felt herself give in to that girly impulse Bobby always woke within her – she felt herself practically melt. Brows knit and eyes closed, face leaning in against Bobby's.

"Got me to thinkin'…" He continued, one hand leaving the railing and lifting to wrap around her and press against her back. "I want that, Deac. I want that for use someday."

"Yeah?" She smiled and returned the hug he had her in, hands coming up to take purchase on either of his sides. She felt her heart leap into her throat, "…sounds like a good dream."

He tucked a kiss high against her jaw; the hand on her back now rubbing in slow, small circles against the fabric of the hoodie she wore. His voice was slow and almost hesitant, "Is it… somethin' you might want? For us?"

She hesitated a bit herself; feeling and listening to him breathe so close against her. He was talking, in essence, about a future between them and even though they'd talked about such things before, somehow it felt a lot more serious this time. Bobby was serious about this. Ultimately, she felt that anxious flutter in her chest as she nodded. "Yes… I'd… I want that too, Bobby."

She felt him smile against her jaw, "Serious?"

Deacon nodded.

"Then… when we shove in, stay in Gloucester. No more jokin', no more excuses…" He murmured against her temple, "Just stay in Gloucester."

She hesitated again and then let her head fall onto his shoulder, face tilted inward. She stared at his neck as she spoke, "…where would I stay?"

"The Crow's Nest."

"I can't afford it, not even at a reduced price." She sighed against his shoulder, "And I'm not living there on credit. Feels too much like I'm robbing your mother…"

He chuckled and so did she.

"Not a problem, sweetheart." Bobby gave her a squeeze, "Not a problem."

"How you figure?" She scoffed, "I've got no money, no place to live…"

"Stay with me at The Crow's Nest."

She lifted her head and pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. A small furrow folded her brow as she stared at him, expression curious and questioning. Had he seriously just asked her to live with him? Just like that? That easily? He looked seven different kinds of serious now as she stared at those honest brown eyes of his and she couldn't hold back the smile that stretched her lips. She had the chance to secure an actual future with this man, right here and now, all depending on how she responded…

She leaned forward just enough to make her desire known to the man, leaving her lips to hover just in front of his. He grinned at her, closing the distance for them in a tender, loving kiss that spoke volumes of the man's feelings on top of everything else he had already gone and said. She 

nodded as he kissed her, unsettling their lips a little as she did, but he didn't seem to mind in the least.

"Alright." She nodded again, looking up at him as he pressed their foreheads together, "I'll stay in Gloucester when we pull in. I'll stay with you."

She knew she'd made the right choice the second after she said it; a smile exploded across Bobby's face, brighter than any smile she'd ever seen on him before. His arms closed in around her, lifting her up off her feet against him as he spun them around once on the deck in his glee – she laughed at the sight they must have been to anyone watching, but she let him have his moment and locked her arms around his neck. He settled her back on her feet, dropping in for another deep rooted kiss.

"But-"

"Ah…! I said no more excuses – no 'but's, Deac."

"No, seriously," she remained close against him with her arms around his neck. Her brow furrowed tenfold as she continued, "…what about… what about Christina?" He sighed heavily, head drooping on his neck and she hushed his protests, "Now just listen, it's somethin' we're gonna have to actually talk about sooner or later. Considering I've agreed to stay with you now would be a good time…"

"I already told you," Bobby stressed to her, "let me handle Christina."

"And I will, but I'd like to know just how you plan on handling her." She let go of him and turned back to the railing, her back now to him. "You live with her in The Crow's Nest now, right?"

"No," he returned to his previous position; a hand on the railing on either side of her. He leaned against her, his chest against her back, and nestled his chin on her shoulder. "Remember? I told you she was plannin' to move us out into house when I got back…"

"That just makes it worse!" She snapped at him, "She's gone and bought a house for you two…" She shook her head, attempting to break free from his hold around her, "This isn't right. This isn't gonna work, Bobby."

"Hey," he scowled deeply at her, "don't you say shit like that. This is gonna work fine. You let me worry about Christina; all you got to be concerned with is what we're gonna name that boat of ours and where we're gonna go on it first."

She turned in his hold, looking up at him thoughtfully. "You're really serious about this?"

"Serious as a fuckin' heart attack." He grinned at her with that loveable Bobby grin of his, "I am _in love_ with you, Deacon Gallagher. And I'd give anything to be with you."

The honesty in his eyes was almost painful to look at and left her sheepish as she stared up at them. She smiled, "Anything?"

He nodded his head, leaning their foreheads together again, "I'd chase your scrawny ass back to Manchester if I had to."

"Thomas and my father would eat you alive."

He shrugged, "I'd let them so long as I got to be with you."

She just stared at him for a long while, marveling at the honesty in him and the adoration his eyes seemed to worship her with. She'd never felt such a gaze on her before.

"Hey!"

She and Bobby tipped their heads over to look back towards the cabin where someone had just shouted out on to the deck. It was Bugsy, beckoning them over with a largely amused grin on his weasel-like face.

"If you two're done makin' gaga eyes at each other, Murph's got some dinner ready for us." He shouted out to them, snickering as he did. He, above everyone else on board, seemed to find the relationship between Deacon and Bobby extremely amusing. He disappeared back into the cabin then, mission complete.

Deacon chuckled, grabbing hold of one of Bobby's hands to lead him to the cabin with her. "Come on, lover boy. Thinkin' on an empty stomach is bad for everyone…"

He consented, letting her drag him over to the cabin door and down the small set of stairs to join the rest of the crew for dinner. Murph had made steaks tonight and everyone was in a jolly good mood this evening as they all sat down at their little table to eat. It just might have been the best and most companionable dinner they six had shared with each other since they'd been together.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

Sorry this chapter is a little short, but it was intended to only be a filler chapter… the next will be longer and will hopefully get out a lot quicker than this one did.

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that might be found while reading. I have no beta and I tend to read over mistakes...


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